The Misadventures of Adrien Agreste
by Spunky Kitten
Summary: Adrien has been hopelessly in love with Marinette for the longest time, going through many crazy adventures to try and earn her love. He's done everything from steal her phone to plan elaborate dates. The boy's really got it bad. Reverse Crush AU from Adrien's point of view. Adrienette/Marichat (Newest Chapter: Troublemaker)
1. The Stolen Phone

**Here is the position swap that no one asked for.**

 **We all know about the Reverse Crush AU. I'm giving it a new perspective. The show mainly shows us Marinette's crush with Adrien and the misadventures she goes through to show him her love. So I decided to put Adrien into the equation instead of Marinette.**

 **For instance, what if Adrien took Marinette's phone after leaving an embarrassing confession of love on it? Let's see how this plays out now.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

When someone looked at Adrien Agreste, they would think he had it all; wealth, fame, and top grades. But there was one major problem. Adrien was in love; indisputably and hopelessly in love. And he wasn't just in love with any girl. He was head-over-heels for the beautiful, talented, and adorably clumsy Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Of course, any girl in their right mind would jump at the chance if they knew the gorgeous teen model had a crush on them. And that's where the problem laid. Marinette wasn't aware of Adrien's crush on her, and chances are she would never find out.

"I hate this," Adrien groaned miserably, slumped in his desk chair. "If I can't ask a _photo_ of Marinette out, how could I possibly do it with the real deal?!" He looked to his kwami, who was munching on a piece of brie. "I could use some support here."

"Why?" Plagg inquired, still stuffing his face, even when he laughed at his Chosen's sad love life. "I'm having a great time watching you go, 'H-hey Ma-Marinette, will you blah, gee, duh, gah.' Hahahaha!"

"Glad to see my misery brings you joy," the blonde sarcastically remarked, despite knowing how right Plagg was. Every time he even looked at Marinette, his face would instantly flush, his palms would get sweaty, and his tongue would freeze up. It was hopeless.

"Okay, okay. I'm done," the god of misfortune said, snickering. "Here's a suggestion. Don't look at her." He floated over to the table in front of Adrien's television and sat on a specific object. "It's why you have this, isn't it?"

"Plagg, you're a genius!" Adrien exclaimed, jumping out of his seat and going for the device. Why didn't he think of it before? He could call her! That way, he didn't have to look at her and maybe he'd have a better time actually saying something coherent. "But, wait, I don't have her number... But I know someone who does!" He pressed the correct digits and held the cell phone to his ear.

* * *

"Okay, bro," Nino said, holding a notepad in his hand, "As your wingman, I wrote down a few things you could try and it'll still sound like you. For a model, you sure are bad at improv, my dude."

"I know, I know," Adrien shamefully agreed, taking the notepad. His phone was in his other hand with Marinette's number punched in, courtesy of Nino. "But what if something goes wrong?"

"Too late now," the DJ replied, swiftly pressing the call button and backing away from the blast zone.

"Nino!" Adrien yelled, fumbling with the phone in his hands as it rang. "I'm not ready."

Jinxes seemed to love him today, because as soon as he said that, a voice rang out from the phone. "Hey, it's Marinette," his crush's voicemail said, "I can't get to you right now, so leave a message and I'll get back to you. Thanks!"

Once the traditional beep played, Adrien held the phone up to his ear, hoping to channel his inner Chat Noir. "Hey M-Marinette!" _No! Stuttering was a bad sign!_ "O-Or rather Marinette's voicemail, but y-you already knew that, right?" _What is coming out of your mouth right now?!_ "ANYWAY, this is Adrien. You know, Adrien Agreste who sit in front of you in class; that Adrien." _Wow. Smooth work, Casanova._ "I-I have s-s-something to ask you, sooo...callmelaterseeyoubye!" He hurriedly finished that last bit before chucking the phone onto his couch. _Well, that went about as well as a kick to the face._ Adrien sighed, running his fingers through his hair.

Nino didn't respond, just raised an eyebrow, wondering what just transpiring in front of him.

"Well, what did you expect me to say?" Adrien complained. "'Hey Princess, this is Adrien. I'd ask you out on a date, but I have such a massive crush on you that the only way I can talk to you without my brain short-circuiting is through a phone!' If that doesn't say romance, I don't know what does."

"If you'd like to hear your message again…" the automated voice said, causing Adrien to panic.

"No no no no no!" He dove for the phone he'd thrown onto his couch out of panic, clutching it for dear life as his shaky hands tried to press 2 so the message would be deleted. When he managed to press a button, the blonde sighed in relief. "Phew." His mini panic attack slowly came down.

"Message sent." And it was back at full force. He softly banged his head on the plush couch cushions, groaning in agony.

Nino, the one who had tricked him into calling Marinette in the first place, placed a comforting hand on Adrien's shoulder. "Well," he began, trying to show sympathy, "I'm sure this isn't as bad as you think, dude."

He lifted his head to side-eye his DJ friend. "It recorded our entire conversation. And I called her 'Princess' so blatantly. It's bad." With that, he dropped his head back down.

Nino only shook his head. "She was gonna find out someday, somehow, dude. Maybe it's better that she knows now."

Adrien shot up from his position and clutched his best friend's shoulders. "I can't let her hear that message!" the model yelled in panic. "I gotta do something!"

"Chill dude. If Marinette's cell went to voicemail, that means she's not around it. She must be busy or something."

"That's it!" Adrien yelled in realization and ran to a sliding closet that he had installed in his wall some time ago. Nino gaped as his friend opened it up, revealing a little shrine with a framed photo of Marinette as the centerpiece. He grabbed a binder and took it out, flipping through the pages until he found one labelled "Wednesday" at the top. "Here we go! Marinette has her advanced design class after school every Wednesday! She thinks the credits will look good on her resumé when applying for design schools and jobs." Adrien looked up at Nino expectantly, but frowned when he saw the DJ with his jaw slackened. "What?"

"Nothing," Nino quickly responded, shaking his head, "Nothing at all." He just made a mental note never to question how invested Adrien could get with something and maybe help him tone down the whole stalker vibe if his plans to get Marinette did succeed.

* * *

Adrien and Nino headed out of the mansion with the former giving the Gorilla an excuse on why he needed to go back to the school. His plan was to sneak through the halls, find Marinette's locker, retrieve her phone, and promptly delete his voicemail so she'll never have to hear it. As they were coming near the school, Adrien gasped when he looked out the window. Across the street, in the park, a large crowd gathered. It was the statue unveiling! Adrien facepalming, having forgotten all about it.

"Oh yeah!" Nino piped up, looking out the window as well. "I forgot Ladybug and Chat Noir were getting their statue today! I gotta go check it out and film them! Alya will for sure be there! But…" The car had stopped at that moment, indicating they were at the school.

"It's okay," the blonde interrupted, patting his friend's shoulder. "You go on ahead. I can do this mission in 5 minutes tops."

"If you're sure."

With those words, Adrien and Nino went their separate ways. Nino headed across the road to the park to see the unveiling. Growing more nervous, Adrien ran into the school and to the lockers while ducking at every classroom window to make sure no one saw him. With no one around as he finally made it to the lockers, his kwami decided to pop out, laughing his tiny butt off.

"That was one embarrassing message," Plagg snickered. "Imagine her face when she hears it!"

"She's not going to hear it," Adrien retorted. "I'll grab her phone, delete the message, and go to the statue ceremony; easy as pie."

"Yeah, but how do you know which locker is hers? Do you even know her combination?"

"I can call her phone to find it. And I have a kwami who will unlock her locker from the inside," then came the bribe, "if he wants twice his usual amount of camembert this week."

"Deal!" Plagg cried with enthusiasm, zipping through the lockers as Adrien called Marinette's number to hear it ring. "Here!" He phased through the locker and promptly opened it, so his chosen could access it.

"Bingo!" The model was a little hesitant to invade Marinette's lovely decorated locker—he didn't see the Chat Noir poster taped at the back since some of her textbooks covered his view—but that quickly flew out the window when Plagg mocked him with the question, "Whatcha waiting for, 'Princess~?'" Remembering his embarrassing message, he began digging until he found it, her ringtone of Jagged Stone's latest song playing to indicate a call.

As he pressed the power button, his shoulders sagged. He had forgotten it was password protected. Going through all the important dates in her life that he knew, Adrien tried different combinations of numbers from her birthday, her parents' birthdays, graduation dates, even the day she won her first fashion contest. Nothing worked. He groaned, ready to give up, until the sound of footsteps sent him into panic mode. With his brain shut off and his impulse kicking in, Adrien quickly closed Marinette's locker and made a break for it.

* * *

Okay, he didn't mean to do it. He sat at his computer chair, promptly staring down the device on his desk. He couldn't believe he just stole Marinette's phone. But there it was, staring back at him as if saying he was a terrible person, which kinda felt like the case. Not only had he missed the statue unveiling, but he also took the love of his life's phone.

"Oh god," Adrien groaned, resting his face in his hands, his elbows on the desk. "This just went from bad to worse." He tried to steady out his breathing and calm down, forcing his imagination not to run wild at this point. But as he was doing that, the phone started going off, making him jump and causing his chair to fall back. "Ow…"

Marinette was calling her phone. She was trying to find it. She was going to find out he stole it! He stole her phone, from her locker! No amount of excuses could justify why he basically broke in to her locker and swiped her cell phone! She'd never talk to him again. If that happened, he'd wholeheartedly die. He'd never get to see her smile at him, see her nose wrinkle when she laughed around him, admire those cute freckles from up close, or bathe in her bakery scent when he was near her. Worst of all, at this rate, his dream would never come true—the dream where he asks her out to a movie or lunch, they get married and have 3 kids and a pet hamster (she loves those cute little guys), live in a moderate house with two floors on a quiet street, and spend the rest of his life wrapped each other's love and happiness. It would be a disaster. The phone stopped ringing while he was panicking, leaving the room in silence.

"Geez," his kwami complained, "stop freaking out. You can slip the phone back somehow and she'll probably never know."

"Yeah…yeah! You're right! Maybe this could be the push I need to ask her out." It wasn't perfectly aligned with his dream goals, but if he had a chance to strike a conversation, he'd take it. All he needed to do was return the phone with no evidence that he ever took it and things would turn out okay!

Adrien turned on the television, hoping it would take his mind off things for a while, but the news that came on sent his head spinning. According to the news, Chat Noir stole the Mona Lisa. But Adrien was standing right there, in his room, obviously not dressed as Chat Noir. Someone was impersonating his alter ego! And they weren't doing a very good job at it either.

"Plagg, claws out!"

* * *

Chat Noir had once again saved Paris with the help of Ladybug. Apparently, the guy that was akumatized was Theo Barbot, the sculptor of the Ladybug and Chat Noir statue in the park. He believed Chat and Ladybug were a thing and, being in love with Ladybug, grew jealous of Chat Noir. This lead to his akumatization as he went after Chat to get Ladybug to love him. Honestly, Adrien had no clue where Theo got the idea that him and Ladybug were an item. His heart was already set on the amazing Marinette Dupain-Cheng, so he held no romantic feelings for Ladybug. He joked around, but nothing too serious that would insinuate he was attracted to the red clad hero.

The blonde model sat on his white couch, Nino sitting right next to him. He called Nino, hoping he knew Marinette's password somehow. Surprisingly, he did. But he refused to tell. A moment of hesitation overtook him. If he didn't erase the message, Marinette would learn how he felt about her. That wasn't all bad. Sure he faced possible rejection, but he couldn't force out the right words when he tried to flirt with her. That always led to a big jumbled mess of pure babble. Maybe voicemail was the best way for him to confess. But…it was best she didn't hear it. He wants to be her friend first and if she grew to love him back, then he'd be more than happy to take her out on dates. Adrien sighed and pressed 2 on the phone, the message's deletion confirmed by the automated voice.

"I'm gonna returned this," Adrien resolved, "I'll tell her I found it and maybe I can ask her to go to a café or something."

Nino smiled and patted his friend's back. "That's the spirit, my dude!"

They returned to school just before lunch break ended, taking their usual seats in front of Marinette and Alya. The phone felt heavy in his pocket, Adrien's courage slowly draining with each passing minute. It wasn't until a couple minutes before the bell rang before he took Marinette's phone and swiftly placed it back in her bag. But when he did so, her bag toppled over, startled Marinette. The blonde immediately panicked and faced the front of the room, stiff as a board.

"What the…?" he heard Marinette softly whisper, probably reaching over to grab her back. "My phone! I thought I checked my bag a thousand times already!"

"Maybe you had it in a different compartment than you usually do or something," he heard Alya suggest.

"Yeah, maybe. I can be pretty scatterbrained." Marinette's giggle was so cute.

"Hey, girl! How about we go see a movie and get smoothies after? Help you destress and all that."

That day, Nino proved to be the best wingman ever. Because he turned back to the girls and asked, "Mind if two more dudes join the party?"

"I don't see why not," Alya answered.

Adrien turned around to see Marinette smiling brightly at him, causing his heart to soar and prompting a happy dance in his brain. He overreacted for nothing. And he silently promised himself not to try and take her phone again.

* * *

 **I was inspired again. It happens a lot. But I think this turned out well. I might do more using the Gamer episode and maybe the La Befona episode. I might even use the Volpina episode but with Lila trying to get close to Marinette for popularity sake. Who knows?**

 **For clarity sake, this story has the idea that Theo confessed to Ladybug, but Ladybug, in love with Chat Noir, tried to gently reject his persistence by saying she and Chat Noir were a thing. This caused Theo to get jealous of Chat Noir and when he's akumatized, he tries to put Chat in a poor light so Ladybug won't be attracted to him anymore.**

 **I won't be doing the Dark Cupid episode since I already used that as inspiration in Chapter 2 of I'll Love You Whenever.**

 **Reviews are more than welcome! I love to hear your thoughts. Also, there's a poll on my profile that I'd really like the MLB fandom's opinion of. That would be a big help to me.**


	2. Winning the Game

**I know I'm not going in order of episodes, but I don't care. I just still wonder what would've happened if Adrien was the one who went through all the things Marinette did in order to spend time with him in some way, shape, or form.**

 **Sorry this took a while. I was thinking hard on what to write next. That and I finished making and posting a Miraculous Ladybug CRACK video that I'm really proud of. If you want to watch it, the link to my channel is at the top of my profile. #shamelesspromo**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Adrien was officially more in love than he was before. When he returned early from his lunch break, the last sound he expected to hear coming from the library was the battle music from Ultra Mecha Strike III. When he entered the library out of curiosity, he didn't expect to see Marinette and Max shake hands before battling against each other in his favorite game. Well, it was less of a battle and more of a one-sided beatdown. Marinette's fingers flew across her controller as she used impressive techniques to crush Max's robot without losing a single hit point. Adrien couldn't help but gawk at her, hearts in his eyes. Was he drooling? Probably, but he'd deal with it later. It was obvious Marinette also loved the game as much as he did with that level of skill. Thus another reason he thought they were meant to be.

The results showed Marinette at the very top with Max just below her. She had a practically unbeatable score. Being the kind soul she was, Marinette gave Max a smile and congratulated him on a good game, telling him he was a skillful player as well. Could she be any more perfect? Then Kim spoke those magical words. Apparently, this was all for a tournament, and the two top players would work as partners. The gears in his blonde head began to turn.

"So, if anyone beats Max, they'll be paired up with Marinette in the tournament?" Adrien asked, suddenly very invested in this little competition.

Nino immediately pulled him aside, out of earshot from everyone else. "No way, dude. Nuh-uh. This tournament is a huge deal! I know you like Marinette and all, but this is a serious competition, bro. And making goo-goo eyes at her doesn't score us points."

"Come on, Nino," Adrien said with a shake of his head, "Have a little faith in your best bud."

With those words, he rushed out of their little conversation and volunteered to try out. Luckily, Mr. Damocles had approved. Feeling confident, Adrien used his best model walk for effect and sat down, holding out his hand for a controller. Marinette smiled at him and handed hers to him. He blushed as their fingers brushed for a brief moment. He would've swooned a little if it wasn't for the many pairs of eyes on him. After shaking Max's hand, Adrien gripped the controller with determination. The two battled it out in a fierce war, using strong moves and combo attacks, blocking and counterattacking. He was almost there. He was also down to low health, but glancing at Marinette watching the fight with a sparkle in her bluebell eyes ignited a fire in his blood. Using his mech's ultimate move at the last minute, Adrien beat Max, earning him a higher score by 1000 and giving him the title of second-best player. Second didn't bother him since he had the knowledge that Marinette was now his gaming partner. Unfortunately, he didn't count on Max being so upset and storming out. He couldn't help but feel guilt in the pit of his stomach.

"Marinette Dupain-Cheng and Adrien Agreste will be representing Françoise Dupont in the upcoming Ultimate Mecha Strike III tournament," Mr. Damocles announced, the students applauding.

Those words immediately replaced Adrien's guilt with pure elation. He felt like he was floating, his sneakers hovering off the ground. He and Marinette were _partners_. Yeah, that sounded about right. He was on such a lovestruck high that he almost missed when Marinette turned to him and spoke.

"Well," she said, "looks like we're partners. I'll come over to practice, okay? See ya later." She smiled sweetly at him and grabbed her bag on her way out with her best friend, Alya.

"See ya," Adrien answered to no one in particular, a dumb grin on his face. He was still grinning when he was all alone in the library.

"You realize the one fatal flaw to your plan, right?" Plagg asked, popping his head out from Adrien's button-down shirt.

"What's that?" the blonde asked, his happiness leaking through his voice like a lovesick puppy, only half listening.

"Two words; your room."

Confusion overtook Adrien when he heard his kwami. "What about my—" Realization slowly set in. "room…?" Realization turned to horror. "My room!"

Yet another one of Adrien's freak-outs—thankfully, he could control them well enough so only Nino and Plagg bared witness to them—began. And what was the reason for this one, you may ask? Well, Adrien had thought nothing of it when he decided to do a little cleaning in his Marinette shrine, thus leaving things from it scattered on his bed. The binder he kept of her schedule was wide open on his desk. He also had a couple pictures of her around, like they were posters. He may also have a wallpaper on his computer that changes from a photo of his mother to a photo of Marinette with the press of a button. And if she saw any of that stuff, Marinette would think he was creepy and never look at him again! He had to get home before she could even arrive there, so he could clean his room and make sure she saw absolutely nothing that shouldn't be in a typical boy's room, and like that boy didn't have a massive crush on the girl that sat behind him in school.

Lucky for him, he had a ride home while she probably walked. He immediately rushed out of the school and to the car the Gorilla was waiting in. He asked to be home as fast as possible, so he could finish his homework before Marinette came over. Okay, that was only half the truth, but he still needed to be home fast for a very important reason. He was fortunate enough that his bodyguard never asked any questions ad simply followed orders.

* * *

Adrien did a double, no triple, check of his room to make sure everything was in order for when Marinette arrived. He managed to convince Nathalie to let Marinette come over, saying he'd be using his free time and they wouldn't interrupt his father while he was working. Nathalie was a bit of a pushover when he gave her the kicked puppy look he had no idea he really used when he was upset by something, so she hesitantly agreed and said she'd deal with his father on the matter.

Just when the matter was settled, the buzzer went off, indicating someone was at the entrance. Looking out the window, Adrien shyly waved at Marinette, who was standing on the other side of the gates. She happily waved back, causing his smile to widen. Once she officially set foot into the Agreste residence, she gasped in awe.

"This place is amazing."

"Thanks. That means a lot coming from you Pri—I-I mean, Marinette." Phew. He almost called her his self-proclaimed nickname for her (Princess). He wasn't sure that were at that phase yet, even on the basis of friendship.

"It's nice to meet you, Miss Dupain-Cheng," Nathalie formally greeted, never once relaxing as usual.

"It's nice to meet you too," Marinette greeted back, slightly intimidated by the grandeur that surrounded her. "I promise I won't be any trouble."

"I'm sure Mr. Agreste will appreciate that." Nathalie led the two to Adrien's room and left soon after.

"Your room is amazing!" Marinette gasped in delight, spinning around to get the 360 view of the area. "There are so many books! And a rock wall? That's something you don't see every day in a bedroom!" She marveled at every little detail while his heart fluttered just watching her in her enthused state. "This computer rules!" She took a seat at the extra chair he brought up and set her bag down. "Let's get started!"

"Okay," Adrien said with a smile, feeling much more comfortable that ever, even with his massive crush sitting right next to him.

He reached over to grab a controller, only to meet her hand in the process. They both pulled away with a nervous laughter, attempting to reach a different one. But their hands touched again, and they laughed that strained laugh, again. He paused to let her grab a controller first and then he took the other one. Adrien's cheeks turned pink at the memory of laying his hand over Marinette's, even for a brief moment. It made him happy and warmed his heart.

They spent about an hour playing together against randomly generated challengers. Of course, Marinette did practically all the work, kicking robot butt one combo at a time. IT was then she tried to make conversation. "I don't mean to sound rude, but your house seems kind of," the designer took a moment to pause, thinking over her words, "empty."

"No offence taken. I feel the same way." Adrien pushed his chair back a little after hitting the pause button on the game. "It's not as welcoming as it used to be when Mom was around."

He looked away, not being able to bare whatever expression the girl he loved was wearing at that moment. But he was surprised when she suddenly jumped up with a bright smile. "Why don't we take a break? I brought so snacks from the bakery, and it's such a nice day out. We should go to the park. Plus, I'm scared of getting crumbs everywhere in your nice room." Cupid's arrow shot through his heart as he saw Marinette blush and giggle out of embarrassment at what she thought was a lame joke.

"I-I'd love that…"

* * *

"We make a good team, huh?" Marinette asked before biting down on one of the cookies she brought for them to snack on.

"We? That was practically all you." Adrien couldn't help but feel a little disappointed that he wasn't able to impress Marinette even a little. She was clearly better by a landslide. He leaned back on the bench, looking up to the sky with a disheartened expression. "I'm nothing compared to you."

"That's not true!" the pigtailed girl practically shouted. It seemed she realized this and quieted down, curling into herself a bit. "I mean, I actually have a secret weapon." She dug into her pocket and pulled out a bracelet made with some beads. "This is my lucky charm."

"You're messing with me, right?"

"Go on. Try playing a match with it."

The young model blushed as his crush held out a prized possession of hers out to him, wanting him to have it. She was smiling that beautiful caring smile as he slowly reached over and took it into his own hand. He felt that jolt of electricity when their fingers touched once more that day, causing his brain to short-circuit for a few seconds. Was this heaven? Unfortunately, that moment was ruined when a giant robot decided to crash the scene and target Marinette. Adrien did his best to pull her away and get her to safety. Falling on top of her when pushing her out of the way definitely didn't help his situation. Pushing those thoughts aside, he ran for his life. But a blast forced him and her apart, leading them in different directions. Guess it was Chat Noir's turn to rescue the princess. And save her he did, maybe showing off a little in the process.

* * *

The controller weighed heavily in his hand. He knew what he had to do. When he won the tryouts, it was basically from the prospect of being partners with Marinette. But now, he had no such motivation. Marinette and Max were clearly the better players. Adrien got up from his seat and walked over to find Max, only to see Marinette handing him her controller with a smile and a nod. Se must've had the same idea as him. So he went with a different tactic.

"You'll be winning with her," Adrien spoke up, holding the controller out to Marinette.

Marinette, bewildered by his gesture, looking at the controller with wide bluebell eyes and said, "Huh…?"

"Y-yeah, I mean." He was losing his courage. His eyes were averting everywhere but her face, and eventually to the ground. _Quick, say something!_ "L-like a said, y-you're amazing Marinette; at the game! I mean, not that you're not awesome in general, it's just—"

His rambling was cut off when he felt a dainty hand on his shoulder. He looked up from the ground to see his crush smiling gently at him. His cheeks turned red as she took the controller from his hand. "Thank you, Adrien. I'll make sure to do you proud now. Cheer us on, okay?" Her smile as she left to join Max dazzled him and when no one was looking, he touched his shoulder with a dazed expression, thinking he'd have to get a new white shirt because he was never washing this one again.

* * *

 **This went on longer than I anticipated. Then again, it's one of the few episodes where Marinette and Adrien interact for more than two minutes anywhere but school. Plus, I always loved the Gamer episode.**

 **Until next time, have a fabulous day!**


	3. The Art of Jealousy

**The Evillustrator episode came to my head one day. I always believed it was the basis for the Marichat ship since that's the first instance they "meet" as Chat Noir and Marinette. And some readers want a glimpse of Marinette's crush on Chat Noir, so I thought this would be the perfect way to represent that. And Chat Noir getting jealous is pure writing gold.**

 **ROLL TAPE!**

* * *

He really wished this wasn't happening right now. When Chloe revealed Nathanael's crush on Marinette, Adrien's initial thought was to prove he was a way better match. The darker side of him made a satisfied smirk curl on his lips, which he appropriately hid with his hand, when the redhead was sent to the principal's office and far away from Marinette. That same dark side thought it a good time to turn on the show of sympathy, so Mari would think his concern made him a sensitive and great guy. Booyah! But matters took a turn for the worse when an akuma appeared and Chat Noir was forced to protect Chloe alone since Ladybug clearly wasn't fond of the uppity blonde. This wasn't the ideal way to spend his afternoon. But Chloe was his friend, no matter the fact that she most likely caused this akuma. He would much rather be with Marinette right now; well, next to her rather than gazing longingly at her from behind a bookshelf or pole or anything.

However, at the end of the rain, there was a rainbow. Chat had just about enough of looking after Chloe, despite their friendship, when Ladybug decided to ring him up. He stepped out to the porch to talk and was immediately given some of the best—and inevitably worst—news of his life. Ladybug told him that the Evillustrator was in love with Marinette and he promised not to harm Chloe as long as she went on a date with him. _Nathanael_ , he sneered in his mind. So good old Nate was the akuma this time around. _Yippee_. Note the sarcasm.

But if Chat Noir had to protect Marinette, that meant he had to spend time with her, protecting her. And he would have to crash the little date she had to go on and he would enjoy every minute of it. Plus, the mask gave him a confidence boost he never got as Adrien. So he could make a better impression with his Princess as Chat Noir than he could as Adrien; stuttering mess Adrien who couldn't even ask the girl he loved out without foaming at the mouth. With those happy thoughts in mind, Chat leaped away from the Bourgeois residence, heading to his crush's house to offer his protection and to make a really good impression that would have Marinette loving both sides of him.

Chat landed on the roof of Marinette's house after a short period of time. Just as he got there, he spotted Marinette at the front door, talking to Sabrina. After the exchange he saw in the library, he could piece together that Sabrina was clinging to Marinette instead of Chloe. But Sabrina looked unhappy as she stormed away, making Chat wonder what could've made Sabrina believe his princess could do anything wrong. Once the redhead was gone, Chat jumped down in front of Marinette, causing her to emit a startled gasp.

"I thought I was going to have to save you from that girl's _claws_ ," he joked, his heart soaring when she giggled. (He didn't realize it was a bit fake because she liked him so much.)

"Don't worry, Kitty," the pigtailed girl retorted, "I can handle more than you think."

"I have no doubt, princess." Suddenly, his face turned beet red at what he just let slip out. Seeing the blush on Marinette's face was a major boost to his confidence. _Well, better run with it while it lasts_. "Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Chat Noir, your knight in shining leather, at your service." Riding on the confidence of his mask, he got down on one knee and kissed her hand, causing her blush to cover her whole face and move down to her shoulders.

"Y-yes, of course! You're always saving the day! Y-you're like a huge celebrity. So what can I do you for? Wait! I mean, what can I do for you? Like what do you need, and oh god I'm rambling."

Chat stood, not letting go of her hand. _Yup, this is heaven_. Turning Marinette into the stuttering mess he usually was with her made so much cuter. "Well, it seems the latest akuma is after you. So I'll be around to protect you if things get too rough. You seem to be quite the _cat_ ch if you're having all the bad boys at your feet."

"Oh, m-m-me?! No! No!" She tried to protest, her face still red as a tomato. "I-I'm just plain old me! Nothing extraordinary going on here! It's not like I'm a superhero like you or a model like Adrien—that's a guy in my class." Marinette looked away with a shy smile, fidgeting with her fingers.

Hearing his alter ego's name, Chat perked up, an idea bubbling in the back of his mind. He could get an opinion directly from the source. Sure, it was like cheating, but he played to win at this point. "A model, huh? That must be nice. But who's to say? He might just be another pretty face."

"Well he's not," Marinette fondly replied. "He's a good guy once you look beneath the surface."

He wanted to keep asking questions, but standing out in the open like this proved to be problematic. "I may have to come inside if I'm to better protect you, princess."

"W-well, okay." She sidestepped the from the door and let him in. The shyness emitting from both of them with the fact that they were both around their biggest crush. Chat's back was turned, so he didn't notice when Marinette silently squealed to herself and spun around a few times, practically swooning because Chat Noir was in her house. She just needed to keep him out of her room that was littered with posters of Chat Noir on her walls.

* * *

"Show time," Chat muttered to himself, watching the boat from a safe distance. However, he couldn't get rid of the clawing feeling in his chest. He didn't want to confirm, but he was aware of what it was; _jealousy_. Even if it was fake, he was jealous of Nathanael and Marinette sitting on that boat while the former did his best to romance the latter. It should be _him_ with Mari. If he was there, he would be cooing sweet nothings into her ear, brushing her hair out of her face to get a better look at her perfect face. He wanted to be there drowning in her beautiful eyes. Chat didn't realize that his claws were digging into the roofing of the house he was on until he heard the sound a shingles breaking. The sound was enough to get him back on track, jumping from roof to roof once more to keep up with the boat. He landed down on the back of the boat, slipping into the shadows as to not be seen.

Unfortunately, his loud footsteps gave him away. And what happened next, he wanted to tear Nate a new one, akumatized or not. He basically insulted Marinette, even if she had no choice but to deceive him. She was a kind soul! And if he couldn't see that, well sucks to be him.

Chat kept Evillustrator at a good distance away from Marinette as they fought. But clearly, the akuma had some tricks up his sleeve. He trapped both him and Marinette into a glass box and erased a hole into the boat to make it sink. He would've been freaking out at the sudden close proximity with his crush if they weren't in serious danger.

"Don't worry Princess, I'll get you out!" He was just about to use Cataclysm to free them fast when Marinette, being the smart and amazing girl as always, came up with a better solution.

"Your baton extends, right? Here." She took his hand—he felt extra lucky the mask hid the blush—and pointed his baton upwards. "You can lift the box like this and get us out of here!"

"Great thinking!" Chat exclaimed, grabbing her waist so he could escape with him.

"I-It was n-nothing," she stuttered with a blush, wrapping her arms around his neck for extra security.

Hand still around her waist, he extended his baton and lifted the box off over them. They landed on the bridge and Chat promptly caught Marinette in his arms. It really wasn't the time to be having the thoughts he was having at that moment, but he couldn't help it. The girl of his dreams was in his arms, as he always, well, _dreamed_ her to be. She was even more beautifully in the moonlight, the soft glow accentuating her features like an angel he believed her to be. Unfortunately, he had more work to do. He left down Marinette and gave her a two-fingered salute.

"W-well, I'll be off. I've got more saving to do tonight." With a final kiss on her knuckles, Chat Noir leapt away to Chloe's house. Again, he completely missed Marinette gushing over him with hearts in her eyes before she inevitable left to join him in the fight.

* * *

She was right there. She was being chewed out by Sabrina, who went back to Chloe's little dark side in the span of less than 24 hours. He even saw the guys exchanging money. Adrien guessed they had a bet on how long Sabrina would last not being Chloe's minion. If he was in on the betting pool, he definitely would've won. Because he predicted it wouldn't last until midnight and he was right.

Slapping his cheeks lightly to cheer himself on, Adrien strode towards his crush. But as usual, the wall of confidence he built up suddenly exploded into tiny pieces when her bluebell eyes, acting as the dynamite in this equation, turned toward him.

"Hey M-Ma…M-Mari…Marinette!" he eventually choked out.

"Hey Adrien," she greeted with a smile. "Did you need something?"

"W-well, um, I just…wanted to ask…Chat Noir, and uh…your adventure… It must've been a dream. I mean, you're dreamy. No, wait! I meant, you're a dream! Dang it!" He coughed, trying to dispel this nightmare of a conversation. "H-how did it go?" _Finally, idiot_. Sometimes he wondered if it was best to glue his mouth shut.

"Oh." She smiled softly, looking away and scratching her cheek with her finger, a pink blush painting her cheeks. If she got any cuter, he was going to have a heart attack. "It was amazing. Chat Noir really is something else. Especially for a hero."

"Th-that's great! Good to see y-you're safe too!"

"Yup! I'm a tough girl!" Marinette giggled slightly and patted Adrien's shoulder before closing her locker and going to her next class.

Adrien was left to swoon in the empty locker area, his hand where Marinette just touched. He thought he heard his kwami mutter something about "being disgustingly sappy" and "really having it bad." But the blonde chosen wasn't listening. He just thought that today marked the day he was going to need _another_ white shirt, adding the one he was currently wearing to the shrine instead of in the back of his regular closet this time.

* * *

 **Here by popular demand, I present to you the end of the Evillustrator episode! So many people wanted to read my take on this episode, so here it is! And it's all thanks to you that it's a reality! Thank you for supporting this story, I love reading all the reviews and comments about it! So thank you again!**

 **And some of you have been asking for the Dark Cupid episode and I'm thinking about it. I did do a rendition of it in I'll Love You Whenever. And that episode is more on the side of LadyNoir rather than Adrienette. I'm still thinking on it.**

 **PLEASE REVIEW! I LOVE READING YOUR FEEDBACK! Can you smell my desperation yet? Good.**

 **I also need your help! Yes, YOU! There's a poll on my profile that needs answering. You guys are smart. This will be a massive help because I need confirmation so I can submit something to a contest I really want to join! THANK YOU!**


	4. Cooking Needs No Words

**So many of you guys reminded me of the Kung Food episode, and I totally forgot Marinette and Adrien have some great scenes in that! So, of course, I got you fam. I can't believe I just said that. Enough talk! Lights, Adrien, ACTION!**

* * *

When Alya called him around 9am saying there was an emergency, he _definitely_ hadn't expected this to happen. And yet, there he was, standing stiffly in front of Marinette Dupain-Cheng's house, the door just waiting to be knocked on. Alya was a slick one, tricking him like this. She had given him the address the "emergency" was at and he rushed over there, but not before taking a moment to think that the location sounded so familiar to him. When he reached his destination, his jaw almost dropped in realization. He was at Marinette's house; the love of his life's inner sanctum, his angel's golden gates, whatever you want to call it in a love-induced freak-out! When Adrien finally managed to calm down enough to call Alya about his situation, she laughed and told him the truth—Marinette needed someone who spoke Chinese to translate for her while her uncle from China was in town. She also added that he owed her a couple exclusive interviews after this huge favor to him and his love life.

"Just knock already!" Plagg whined. "It's just a house!"

" _Just a house_?!" Adrien whisper-yelled, like that was the most offensive thing he heard today. "Don't you see it, Plagg?! I'm at Marinette's house, completely unprepared to even think a single, intelligible thought! I have no idea what to say! I'll probably end up with my tongue caught in my throat again and I can't be her translator if that happens. She'll send me away, thinking I'm too much of a mess, and I won't be able to spend time with her and—"

"KID!" his kwami shouted with annoyance, interrupting his usual worst-case scenario envisioning. "Look, you know why you're here. Start with that. Simple"

"Yeah," Adrien replied with a nod, "…yeah." God, he wasn't even looking at her and he was already tongue-tied. Then again, he learned as much the day he tried to call her and ask her out. That voicemail still haunted his nightmares. Quick as a rabbit, the model lifted his hand and knocked on the door before he could chicken out. He shifted on his feet as he waited for Marinette to answer her door. But when she did answer, his breath caught in his throat. She had her hair up in a neat bun, and the white Chinese-style blouse complemented her porcelain skin. She had replaced her pink flats for red ones to match the cherry blossoms dotting her dress and her pink capris were now navy ones. To top it off, her signature purse was around her shoulder, resting at her hip. All in all, she was gorgeous.

"Oh, Adrien!" she said in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh! Yeah, that! Well, uh, Alya called me today, and well, she said something about someone who could speak Chinese, so I'm your guy! I mean I'm your friend who's a guy that's here to help in any way. So…here I am; at your service." The elegant bow he managed to pull off at the end didn't ease his nerves at all. Could he not be coherent for 10 seconds?! _Way to go, doofus. Like she'll believe you can do the job right with that word vomit._

"Great!" Marinette cheered with a smile. "Because I could use some serious help. You see, my uncle is from China and…" The rest of her words fell on deaf ears, since his brain automatically went to autopilot as his heart did gleeful flips and spins in his ribcage. She wanted his help, even after that embarrassing display of rambling! Things were looking up!

* * *

Did you know that Adrien Agreste had a habit of speaking too soon? Because he did. Everything had been going so smoothly, at first. Marinette doubted that Cheng Shifu liked her, explaining how he ripped up the bouquet she gave him. The sad look in her eyes was enough to make Adrien lose his flustered attitude as he laid his hands on her shoulders, telling her that he actually did like her, clarifying that the flowers were going to be used in the soup he was making; a great sign of respect. Then things started rolling downhill.

"You really thing he likes me?" the designer asked him with hopeful eyes.

"No doubt in my mind!" he responded without hesitation. "You're talented, and kind, and smart. Of course I lo—I-I-I mean, _he_ likes you!" Oh god. Was he really just about to blurt that out; the three words that could make his dreams come true or tear apart everything he worked on to be here today with Marinette? He was certain Marinette wasn't ready to hear the "L word" just yet.

"Thank you, Adrien," she said with a soft smile, very much used to his ramblings by now.

As he walked behind her, he slid a hand down his face, chastising himself for being almost letting his heart speak over his head for a moment. He always thought it was best to listen to your heart over your head, but having a crush on someone with that mentality was like tiptoeing through a minefield. If that little blunder wasn't enough, Chloe just had to be up to one of her evil schemes. He, unfortunately, knew Chloe too well for her own good. He knew she planned revenge, going so far as to sabotage the Celestial Soup after Marinette defended Cheng Shifu against the prissy blonde. Seeing Marinette's sorrowful expression, after seeing her uncle so upset, made his heart ache for her. He laid his arm over her shoulders, doing his best to comfort her. Eventually, he suggested they wait downstairs for Cheng Shifu. Marinette could only nod, still upset by the situation.

He knew that expression. She was blaming herself again; blaming herself for all the bad things that were happening. But it was Chloe's fault. Chloe was the one who let words get to her so easily that she felt the need for revenge, especially since her father had influence. He wanted to do something, anything, to resolve this situation. He wanted his sweet Mari to smile again. And the only way for that to happen was to make Chloe confess and convince the judges to give Cheng Shifu a retry with his dish.

Unfortunately, those actions didn't immediately come to fruition as—surprise, surprise—another akuma attack occurred with him and Marinette in the middle of the chaos. He wasn't sure who it was this time, but his gut gave him an idea who it was and why. Currently, they were trapped inside the hotel by thick caramel that refused to budge. But lucky for him, Marinette provided him with an excellent excuse to sneak away when she was worried about her uncle on the upper floor. Time for Chat Noir to make his _cat_ -tastic appearance.

* * *

Adrien was right when he believed it was Cheng Shifu that had been akumatized, and that it was due to Chloe's sabotage. On the bright side, the judges were more than willing to give Marinette's uncle a second chance after discovering Chloe's little stunt. They also kicked her off the jury, so now Cheng Shifu could show off his true culinary talents without interference. He'd even been pleasantly surprised when Cheng Shifu changed the name of his dish to Marinette Soup. He couldn't be prouder of her. And she was just the most adorable specimen when she blushed and giggled, saying a cute "thank you" in Chinese before proudly joining her uncle in front of the camera. The happiest moment of the day came when the camera crew packed up and left. He was getting ready to leave when Cheng Shifu stopped him.

"I want to thank you two for everything," he said with his thick Chinese accent. "Please, enjoy some Marinette soup." He placed two bowls at a table with two chairs and smiled patiently, waiting for a response.

"That would be amazing!" Marinette said giddily, practically skipping over to the table and taking a seat. "Come on Adrien!" She excitedly waved him over, the bright smile on her face enough to make him sway backwards a bit before he caught himself when he heard his kwami mutter, "Don't you dare faint."

This was what he wanted. He wanted to see that bright smile so badly after she had been so down in the dumps. He couldn't refuse her now, unless he wanted to see her frown and look like a total jerk. He pretended to go over his plans in his head. Oh, would you look at that. His schedule was magically empty. Photoshoot? What's a photoshoot? "Okay," Adrien agreed with finality and took his seat at the table.

Cheng Shifu poured soup into their bowls, putting some aesthetic touches on it before presenting it to them. Marinette bowed her head and said a thank you in Chinese once more before picking up her spoon. "Cheers," she stated, holding her spoon out to Adrien.

The blonde model smiled in content, picking up his spoon and clicking it with hers. "Cheers."

They dug in while Cheng Shifu watched on with a joyful smile. This was the happiest day of his life. Just him and Marinette, eating exquisite food made by a famous chef and— His thoughts suddenly came to a screeching halt in that moment, spoon still in his mouth just after he swallowed more of the amazing soup. That was a good thing because his sudden realization would've made him choke on said soup and he really didn't want Cheng Shifu to be upset or for Marinette to worry and ask if he was okay. Because he was both more than okay and not okay at the same time.

Marinette and he were sitting at a table in a very classy hotel, being served five-star cuisine by a famous chef! She was even dressed up for the occasion! It was like…like a date! It was like he was on a date with Marinette, his dream girl! To be honest, this was the second of the many ideas he had for when he envisioned his first date with Marinette. His first idea involved a trip down the Seine, firework, and about a few dozen of her favorite flowers, but that was getting off track. For now, he was just going to go with the flow and enjoy this splendid day while at lasted. Because from the first day he met her, he wanted nothing more than to be like this, the two of them as he could spend as long as he wanted getting lost in her eyes and talking about everything and nothing at the same time.

When the day ended, Adrien practically floated to the spot the Gorilla was waiting for him in the car. He was perfectly fine listening to any lectures he'd be receiving tonight, playing today's antics off as losing track of time. It was official. He could die happy on his little personal cloud nine.

* * *

 **Wow! I am on a roll with these! I'm so happy for all my readers out there who have been so wonderful and supporting since I began this story! You guys make me want to write even more.**

 **I didn't want this story to end too short, because Adrien and Marinette don't have a moment as major as in The Gamer or in The Evillustrator, so I thought I'd use this episode's end card as inspiration to top this chapter off with a neat little bow. I thought Marinette would be freaking out if (I mean when) she realized what exactly was going on in that moment.**

 **And yes, I've seen all those requests for a Dark Cupid rendition and I admit I'm slowly giving in. I don't want to copy and paste my old idea onto this story but the well is dry with ideas on how to spice it up while keeping it personal to me. So I'll keep thinking, okay?**

 **Reviews are appreciated! Don't be shy! And please check out the poll on my profile. It's very important to me. Until next time, lovelies!**


	5. Sneaky, Lying Fox

**I decided to go with the Volpina episode. But in this edition, Lila is after Marinette for popularity and such. She's still on her impressive track record of lies. Also, now, it's Chat Noir that swoops in and crushes Lila's chances at glory.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

This was not okay. None of this was okay. When he entered school, he was immediately bombarded with talk of a girl named Lila. Apparently, she was new and came all the way from Italy. Supposedly, she had done so many amazing things, like ride on a private jet with a prince and got Jagged Stone to write a song about her. He wasn't well-versed in the ways of high school and people, but he could sense the malarkey of such claims the minute he heard them. Being able to detect such basic liar behavior came with the modeling gig. So he didn't know what to think when he spotted a girl he never saw before—he was guessing that she was this Lila girl—clasped around Marinette's arm like a leech. Something didn't feel right. This situation far outweighed him basically stealing a book from his father's vault that may contain secrets about the Miraculous.

He spotted Nino looking down at his phone with a smile and immediately began the interrogation. "Can you tell me who that girl is and why she's with the love of my life?" the model probed, dramatically pointing up at Marinette and Lila.

"Oh, that's Lila," Nino enthusiastically answered. "She's totally awesome, dude! She said she'd introduce me to Spielberg himself! Oh, and check this out!"

Nino held up his phone to show Adrien. It was on the Ladyblog and there was a video at the center of the screen. His friend pressed play and the video showed Lila laughing—it was one of those fake prissy laughs, might he add—and going on and on. But the breaking point came when Lila opened her mouth and said, "I'm super close with Ladybug and Chat Noir. They saved my life once and we've been best friends ever since. Like this." She crossed her fingers to emphasize her point.

"What?!" the blonde practically screeched.

"Yeah, dude! This seriously rules! Another celebrity in our school!"

While Nino was all gung-ho about this occurrence, Adrien was grinding his teeth. He didn't have a clue why at first. Marinette was perfectly allowed to make more friends. And Lila wasn't someone that would just come in and snatch away his chances with his crush, right? Did she even swing that way? But he wouldn't allow a snake like Lila—a liar, which Marinette always said she hated—to befriend and taint his precious Marinette.

* * *

How he got in this position, Adrien would never comprehend for as long as he lived. He couldn't believe he lost his father's book in the blink of an eye! On the bright side, he discovered who found it and was currently watching them while ducking behind shelfs and book carts in the library. That someone was Marinette. She was reading the book browsing through the pages as she sat at one of the tables. The look of pure awe on her face sent his heart into overdrive.

Suddenly, a thought occurred to him. He could easily go up to her, tell her it was his book, and then he could strike up a conversation about it, considering how interested she looked. Oh, who was he kidding? He couldn't get so much as 3 feet with suddenly foaming at the mouth and spluttering his words when those gorgeous blue eyes were focused on him. The blonde put his back against the bookcase and slide down, putting his head on his knees. It felt hopeless. But then…if he never tried, he'd never know what could happen between them.

Adrien slowly rose, taking deep breaths and mentally preparing himself for approaching the girl of his dreams. He nodded to himself, puffing out his chest with confidence, and moved away from the shelf, fully prepared to give his best model walk to display confidence he was probably going to lose the instant Marinette said hi. Fake it until you make it, right? But just as he looked in the direction of the table, he let out a very unmanly surprised squeak and instantly went back to hide, this time behind a cart stacked with books.

There, at the table, was none other than his newly dubbed rival Lila. She was practically flirting up a storm, obviously trying to worm her way into Marinette's good graces. The little fox had even taken the book and was flipping through it. Marinette looked a little nervous and told Lila to be careful with it.

"Wow," he heard Lila say, "Chat Noir. Amazing…"

"He really is incredible," he heard Marinette say almost dreamily. Adrien peered from around the cart, peridot eyes gazing at his rival and his angel. Marinette had her chin on her folding hands and a dazed smile spread across her face. _So she's a fan of Chat Noir, huh?_

"So you're a fan of Chat Noir, huh?" Lila asked, unintentionally voicing Adrien's thoughts. Just that action alone made him grind his teeth. He swore his teeth would be dumbed down at this point as Lila placed her hand over Marinette's. "You know…I could give you the inside scoop if you—"

But the brunette was cut off when Marinette's phone buzzed. "Oh no! I gotta meet Alya soon!" She scrambled to stand up and gather her books, but being the clumsy girl she is, got her foot caught on the leg of the chair and tripped, spilling all her books and supplies to the floor. "Ah, geez…" Marinette whined as she pulled herself up.

"Let me get that," Lila offered, leaning down to get the books. But Adrien's jaw went slack as he saw her push his push further under the table so Marinette wouldn't notice it. She took all the other books and gave them to Mari. "Before you go, I actually have something really important to show you after school today. So meet me at the park. Here." Lila grabbed a marker out of her bag and wrote something on Marinette's wrist. "Now you have my number. Text me later!"

"Um, okay," the pigtailed girl agreed with a polite smile before scurrying out of the library, unaware of what her "new friend" had just done. She never noticed Lila's smirk as she grabbed his book and stuffed it into her bag. Adrien couldn't just stand by and let this happen. He had to protect his precious Mari from that lying little fox.

* * *

Adrien Agreste wasn't an angry or spiteful person. In fact, he was the complete opposite. He'd rather find the calmest way out of a conflict and he tended to be the first to back down when things got too intense. But right now, all those years of holding in so much anger and frustration were bubbling to the surface as he dug his hands into the book he had gotten back from Lila. Well, it was less of "getting it back from her" than it was rummaging around in the trash can she had so deviously tossed it in to get it. He was still upset about it, even with the book back in his possession. Just when he thought his dislike from Lila couldn't get any worse, _it_ happened.

Marinette showed up at the promised time while Adrien hid behind a tree to spy. She sat down next to Lila and put her bag down with a polite smile. "What did you want to talk about?" the blunette questioned.

"Well," Lila began, looking around as if to make sure no one was listening in, "I wanted to show you something that was passed done for generations in my family. I got it from my grandmother." She pulled a necklace out of her shirt and proceeded to show it to Marinette. Adrien let out a silent gasp when he saw it. It looked like the fox necklace that he saw when he was flipping through the book. What was the hero's name again? Vulcan? Volpix? "This belonged to the great fox superhero, Volpina." Meh, he was close enough.

"Wait! Really?!" Marinette looked at it in disbelief and a small amount of awe. "I think I read about that in the book I found." She reached for her bag to grab it and Adrien was sure Lila was about to be caught red-handed. Once Marinette saw the book was missing, she'd most likely panic and then retrace her steps in her head. After remembering how she spilled her books while Lila was around, and it was Lila who picked up said books, the lie was as good as exposed.

What he didn't count on was Lila's smooth as silk response. The brunette placed her hand on Marinette's and gave the best award-winning smile she could. If Adrien didn't know about her true colors, even he would've been convinced. " _Of course_ you've read all about her! She's one of the most respected and celebrated heroes! If you ask me, she should've been Ladybug's partner over Cat Noir."

Suddenly, something inside of Adrien snapped. Not only because he flat out heard someone badmouth his alter ego, but for a reason he couldn't describe himself. His very soul turned red with an anger that blazed hotter than the sun. It only flared up when he saw Lila snuggle up to Marinette like they were besties. Alya was Marinette's best friend. Marinette deserved someone like Alya; not a snake like Lila. His peridot eyes lowered into a glare as he backed away from the tree and found a secluded place to transform. His head was telling him this was a bad idea, but his heart was having none of it. "Plagg, claws out!"

Marinette was about to comment on the necklace when Cat Noir leaped into action, jumping down in front of their bench. You ever heard that hell hath no fury like a woman scorned? Replace woman with jealous cat and you realize the onslaught that was about to go down. "Well, if it isn't my two favorite people; Marinette and—oh wait, do I know you? Oh, right! Lila! My BFF! We became such good friends after and saved you. What was it from again? Oh, I can't seem to remember because that never happened." At this point, Lila was crying, tears rushing down her cheeks while Chat Noir kept letting his jealousy get the better of him, smirking triumphantly as Lila's lies were revealed in front of Marinette. "By the way, I make a _way_ better partner for Ladybug than you _ever_ will. At least I'm not a liar that says just about anything I want for my own gain. You really gotta stop lying. Because those you involve in your lies aren't exactly happy." He hissed that last part with every ounce of fury that bubbled within.

When he was done, Lila had run away crying. "Wait!" the blunette, who watched the whole scene in shock, called out. But to no avail. Then, her bluebell eyes turned to Chat Noir. "What was that all about? You didn't have to be so mean."

Chat sniffed, turning away, his anger slowly coming down but not all the way just yet. "I just don't like people who lie to gain something. I've dealt with enough of that. I don't need innocent minds exposed to that." With those final words, the cat-themed hero used his baton to pole-vault away into the city.

Marinette, confused at her crush's actions, whispered to no one. "What happened to you, kitty?"

* * *

When karma decided to come back around and bite Adrien in the butt, he couldn't say he was taken completely be surprise. He had to admit that his jealousy got the better of him, causing him to lash out at the now-akumatized Lila. Now, he had to make it right before it was too late. Because Lila, now Volpina, was dangling Marinette off the Eiffel Tower as she struggled and cried.

"Please, just let her go!" Chat cried out, terrified. There was no way he could lose the best thing that ever happened to him. He'd die inside.

"Then give up your Miraculous!" Volpina responded with a vicious laugh, slowly releasing her grip on Marinette's arm one finger at a time.

"OKAY! Okay... You win..." His sweet Marinette was much more precious to him than his identity. She meant the world to him. He slowly reached to take the ring off his finger, his heart breaking with every second.

"Chat, wake up!" Ladybug cried and hurled her yoyo up at Volpina and Marinette.

Chat cried out, begging Ladybug to stop her attack, but was surprised when the two went up in a puff of smoke. It…It was an illusion. Marinette was safe and sound somewhere in Paris! That put his mind at ease. And with a clear head, Chat was able to finish the fight and help Ladybug de-evilize the akuma. But, even after Lila was transformed back, she was still upset with him. He couldn't blame her. He basically belittled her in front of Marinette and— Marinette!

"I have to go and make sure Marinette is safe!"

"But Chat, your ring! Don't worry. I can check on her for you."

"It's okay, Milady. This is something I need to do." Leaving no room for argument, Chat travelled as fast as her could to the Dupain-Cheng bakery. He needed to see Marinette safe and sound. Only then could his aching heart be calmed. He finally reached her balcony and knocked on the hatch. "Princess…?" he cautiously called. When he didn't receive a replay, his mind went into overdrive. Sparing no extra thought, the hero opened the hatch and went into her room, then travelled downstairs to find an empty house. "Princess?" he tried again. "Princess, where are you?"

"I'm in here, Chat!" a voice called from a separate door. That was Marinette's voice! She was okay. But then he noticed it was coming from her bathroom. He was groomed to be a gentleman, so suddenly opening the door was out of the question. "I'm sorry if I scared you," her voice softly said from the other side.

"It's okay now. Just knowing you're safe is enough."

"…Thank you, Chat Noir." Her voice was clear with genuine gratitude that he was concerned for her.

"You're welcome." He placed his head on the door, tempted to open it and hold Marinette tight, unaware Ladybug was on the other side doing and thinking the exact same thing. With a sigh, Chat moved away from the door and ran back to Marinette's room, jumping out the hatch and back to his own home. He was just happy Marinette was okay. He protected her as best he could. And she thanked him for it.

* * *

 **Booyah! Done with Volpina. While I was writing this and working on a new MLB Crack video, I realized that I should add the Gigantitan episode in! I want to see what I can write if I imagined the guys planning this huge, elaborate plan to get Adrien a date with Marinette instead of girls trying to do it. I think it could be really funny. So that's on the list.**

 **I might do Despair Bear or La Befona next. Then I'll do Gigantitan. So if you're not cool with Season 2 spoilers, I'll put warnings on those chapters. Now, I must rant.**

 **OMG OMG! OMG! Did you HEAR?! Miraculous Ladybug will be continuing this month! And not only that! No, no my dear Miraculers! We have been promised the balcony scene in the next episode; Episode 9! THE BALCONY SCENE! Or should I say, one of the balcony scenes~ And one of the creators said it would lead to something romantic! SQUEEEEEE! As you can see from my fanfics, I'm an avid Marichat and Adrienette shipper, so January 29 will be THE HAPPIEST DAY OF MY LIFE! If you actually read this rant, thank you and I hope you're just as excited as me. Because I'm over the moon excited! Can you tell?!**

 **Review if you want more and check out the poll I have up! Thank you and good night! *mic drop***


	6. May I Have This Dance?

**Well, here we are. This is what the ML fandom has done to me. OH MY GOD! Season 2 will be continuing! I don't mind watching subtitles as long as I get those sweet, sweet Adrienette and Marichat moments I love so much! Despair Bear is my FAVORITE episode so far, so I just typed like the wind when making this, filled with Adrienette love!**

 **Cue the Chat Noir! No, seriously, get out here. You have a show to do.  
** …  
 **Because I said so.  
** …  
 **No, I'm not Thomas Astruc, but—  
** …  
 **I don't need your sass! Ugh. Enjoy my story.**

* * *

Adrien always tolerated Chloe and her mischief for years. He liked to believe that deep down she wasn't the horrible human being everyone saw and experienced her as. But that all went out the window when she did the unthinkable—made Marinette so upset to the point of where it looked like she was going to cry. And to that he said _hell no_. If he knew cutting his friendship off with Chloe would lead to the happiest moment of his life, and he was more selfish than he really was, he would've broken his friendship with Chloe a thousand times over by now. Did that make him a bad person? Probably, way deep down.

But that's not all there is to this particular story. It all started when Chloe called the fire department on a fake emergency, interrupting Marinette's father's baking lessons just because she didn't want to get her manicured hands dirty. Of course, the principal was determined to find the culprit of this little prank. He knew who it was. It had Chloe written all over it. He desperately wanted to say something, knowing how important this day was to Marinette and her father. But his brain decided to go all out of whack when Marinette whispered in his ear; about what he had forgotten. Her close proximity to him made him want to melt on the spot. So of course, his tongue would no longer work until it was too late.

It was so painful to see Marinette and all his friends so sad because of a cruel prank. So he did what he had to do. He marched right up to Chloe and told he what he thought about her behavior, and her behavior since he started attending school. She really needed to learn to be nice to others if she ever wanted to be his friend again. In all honesty, Adrien did feel a bit bad when Chloe collapsed to her knees in shock that he wouldn't be her friend anymore. But he realized that a dose of tough love was necessary. If it got his friends back to their cheerful moods and had Marinette smiling around him again, then it would all be worth it.

* * *

Adrien had the afternoon free, for once, and the guys invited him to go to an arcade that recently opened up, so he readily agreed. Kim loved the games he could challenge other players like Star Shooter or Mach Race 7, shooting games and racing games respectively. He was currently up against Max in the latter, one going off pure skill to win while the other had every calculation mapped out in his quest to victory. Nino practically insisted they play the rhythm game he liked so much, but Adrien was fine on the sidelines, relaxing and watching while Nino danced like no tomorrow. Adrien loved games like Ultra Mecha Strike III—he was still giddy from when he played it with Marinette—that tested your quick wit and strategy skills, that actually made you think for a brief second. So he played a few platformers and vs. games until he decided to take a break and sit down for a while.

As he was sitting and watching Nino play another round, his friend's phone buzzed next to him. He looked at it, befuddled. He received an invite from Chloe to a party? Last time he checked, Chloe didn't invite any of her classmates anywhere, saying they were too lame. Soon enough, his phone buzzed with the same invite.

"I can't believe it," Kim said, walking up to him with Max in tow. "We got invites from Chloe! Chloe, of all people!"

"Statistically speaking, the odds of this day occurring were 0.93% at best," Max added.

"What's going on dudes?" Nino asked, joining their little huddle.

"Chloe invited us all to a party," the model answered, holding up both his and Nino's phones.

"No freaking way!" his best friend shouted, snatching his phone. "She even asked me to DJ the party?! Wow! This 'effort to be nice' must be killing her!"

Adrien couldn't help but sigh. "At least it's something. I guess I have to be there to make sure she keeps her promise."

Nino's phone dinged again and he looked down to check it. Suddenly, his friend smirked. He sneakily showed his phone to the other guys, who ended up chuckling with equally devious smirks on their faces. While all this was happening, Adrien was just confused. Had he missed something? He checked his phone again, but nothing in the invitation seemed to explain his friends' currently mental conversation or whatever they were communicating that he _clearly_ wasn't following.

"What?" Adrien finally asked.

"Alya just texted Nino," Kim slyly replied.

"And there is a 97.4% chance that Marinette will be attending the party," Max contributed to the conversation.

"And your best bud is gonna be the DJ~ Which means I'd be more than happy to play some slow songs so you can make a move~"

Adrien's whole world started spinning faster as his head and heart tried to process this newfound information. His cheeks turned redder by the second. His hands gripped the sides of his chair tightly. This was a day he had been dreaming about. He wanted to vomit from pure happiness. And yet, his brilliant mind could only come up with "W-wha…?"

"I think you broke him," Kim said, bursting out in laughter.

* * *

Adrien felt a little bad for both Marinette and Chloe. He knew quite well they were archenemies in every sense of the word. And the fact that they had to kiss each other on the cheek was both hilarious and hard to watch. But at least it meant Chloe was making a genuine effort, no matter how much it would pain her in the end. That's what friendship was after all; being willing to do anything for someone you call a friend. Adrien kept his watch between Chloe and Marinette the whole party; on Chloe because he was making sure she was playing nice with other, and on Marinette because she was just so…perfect. How could he not stop and stare? Now if only he could not be a tongue-tied idiot for a good 5 seconds when he was in arm's length of her.

He reminisced about the events that lead to this moment as he stared at the back of his crush's head in a lovesick daze. She was probably watching Chloe with pure skepticism, not believing for a second that Chloe could be so nice for a change. Honestly, he didn't blame her. On a side note, Adrien was slowly working up the courage to ask her to dance. But when that slow song came on, his blood pressure skyrocketed as heat rose to his cheeks, the implications of what asking her to dance would mean at this time. They would have to be close together. Nino was behind this. He had to be. Adrien couldn't tell if this was helping or hurting.

"Just ask her to dance, bro," Nino bluntly whispered with a smile, patting his friend on back.

"And turn into a spluttering mess in front of her and she'll probably go ask someone else who can actually say a full sentence to her? No thanks," the model whispered back, his shoulders sagging as his courage took a 180 into a bottomless pit. "Besides, I don't know if she's the dancing type or if she wants to dance to a slow song. It's not that easy."

"Dude, it's really easy," the DJ quickly answered. "Like this." And before Adrien could complain and ask what he meant, Nino practically shoved him, knocking him into Marinette who gave a surprised gasp.

The blonde model was suddenly sent into panic mode, not knowing what to do. He was stuck on his words and just looking at her while the soft music played around them made his heart do a little flip. "Oh! Ma…Mari…. Ma-Ma-Marinette! I-I was just… I mean, I was, um…"

Marinette giggled, saving him from his rambling and excuses. "It's alright Adrien. Would you like to dance?"

Adrien was dead. That was the only explanation for any of this happening. His crush, the love of his life, was asking him to dance and— _oh my god_! She suddenly grabbed his hand with a smile still plastered on her cute face, pulling him to the dance floor. His brain went into shutdown mode at that point. The pigtailed girl guided the hand with his Miraculous on it to her waist and lifted his other one with hers. They began to move in time with the music, gliding across the dancefloor in perfect sync. His dreams of this moment were nothing compared to the real thing. He slowly stopped letting his head run rampant and let his heart do the talking. He gently pulled her a little closer by the waist, smiling in content as they danced together.

He didn't expect it when Nino and Alya (their two meddling best friends) decided to come into the picture. Alya did a little twirl to get close to them and immediately got down to business. She moved both his hands snuggly around Marinette's waist and Marinette's hands around his neck. Then she twirled back into Nino's arms and then they were gone, leaving the two in surprise. He was the first to shake out of it, looking toward his dream girl, his cheeks pink with a sudden case of shyness. Marinette turned her bluebell eyes back to him seconds after. What happened next made his heart soar with overflowing joy. She shrugged with a short giggle and leaned her head on his chest, her arms tightening around his neck and holding him close. His heart went into overdrive, and he could swear she could hear and feel it beating out of his ribcage. His cheeks went redder than ever. But the moment felt so right. All at once, he gave in. Adrien closed his eyes and pulled her close, his arms securely around her waist. They held each other close as they danced together. He could swear if this was an anime or cartoon, the whole background behind them would be nothing but sparkles and pink bubbles. He could honestly say that he never felt happier than he did right now. The girl he's loved so strongly for so long was so close to him, just as lost in the moment as he was. And he reveled in every last second of it.

Unfortunately, Chloe ruined the moment when she began stomping her way over to separate them. But she was stopped by her butler, who apparently embarrassed her by showing off her teddy bear. Her upset yelling broke him and Marinette out of their trance. They looked to the source of the commotion, unsurprised at who was causing it. It really wasn't any of their business to interfere with Chloe's life outside of school, like her staff for instance. But Chloe's tantrums always had a downside. When he was dancing to more upbeat tunes with Marinette, the signature "an akuma is after me" scream that resonated from Chloe's mouth forced them to separate so he could go and transform.

When he found a secluded spot in the fire escape, he stopped for a moment. Leaning against the door, Adrien slid down. The goofiest grin was on his lips as hearts fluttered over his head. "I think I'm in heaven. It was like being on a cloud, no one but us two." He might actually have a chance with her!

"Ugh! Gross!" Plagg whined, zipping out of Adrien's white shirt. "Enough with the lovey-dovey mush! Don't you have a job to do?"

"Oh, right! Plagg, claws out!"

* * *

And once again, the day was saved. But this was the most reluctant he's ever been to leave and transform into Chat Noir. He usually loved it and the freedom that came with being a superhero. But he had to break away from Marinette to fulfill his duty. And after they shared that amazing moment between them… Adrien was a bit disheartened by that fact. But now, he had a second chance. Maybe it wouldn't be as tender or natural a moment as before, but he would take whatever he could get.

The young model slowly made his way over to Marinette, a platter of his own homemade macaroons in hand. Nino had helped him so he wouldn't make a total fool of himself by creating what could only be known as a baking disaster; a _recipe_ for disaster one might say. He stiffly forced his legs to keep trekking forward, getting closer to his lady love. When she saw him out of the corner of her eye and smiled, he almost dropped the platter then and there. Marinette suddenly got riled up at something Chloe said—she was no longer acting nice since he promised to stay her friend—and it was just so adorable his brain stopped functioning correctly.

"Hey there Marinette! Lovely to see you. I mean, you've been here so of course I'm seeing you. Wait. Let me try again." He was babbling again! Why couldn't he say anything fluent around her for once?!

But Marinette also seemed to unconsciously know when to save him from his potential blunders. "Are those macaroons you made? Can I try some?"

"S-s-sure!" Adrien basically thrust out his platter to her, causing most of them to spill on the floor. "Dang it," he muttered in embarrassment. He was a dead man. He could kiss his one chance with her goodbye. Prepare his coffin and bury him now.

But Marinette just giggled, putting a hand to her lips. "Don't worry about it." She grabbed a macaroon that had survived on the platter and took a bite, her eyes lighting up. "This is good! You have some skill, Adrien. Just like your dancing." With a smile, she walked away to console everyone Chloe had put down in the last few minutes, finishing the macaroon.

Did she just...? And she...? HUH?! Was he imagining things?! Did she just subtly flirt with him?! She called him a good dancer! She said he had skill! He still had a chance with her. Adrien couldn't stop the wide grin that spread across his face as he fist-pumped the air with a new sense of determination. _Marinette Dupain-Cheng, I love you more than ever before. And one day, I'll let you know that._

* * *

 **I am so proud of myself. Two chapters in such little time. I want to get the chapters I really want to do done before the continuation of season 2 and the balcony scene comes forth~ Also, I want to at least do so much before I have to go back to school and I'll barely have time to write my fanfictions anymore. I'm lucky I got this long winter break to do some productive work on both here and my YouTube channel.**

 **Thank you everyone for all your love and support towards this series! I appreciate it will all my heart.**

 **Review for more and help me out with the poll on my profile. That would me a lot to me, please and thank you. Have a good day, lovelies!**


	7. Side Story: Memories Within

**It came to me while I was writing. I think it would help you guys if we took a look into Adrien's Marinette shrine. By that I mean, I'm going to be writing little snippet moments that happen in some episodes, but the episode isn't a focus of it, like The Gamer and Despair Bear. I mean episodes like Stormy Weather, The Bubbler, and the final one is a surprise.**

 **Enjoy a look into the shrine!**

* * *

On the rare lazy days like these, in which he was free to spend the day as he pleased, Adrien usually spent it doing one thing above all else. He liked to go through the little space he dedicated purely to Marinette. Even if it was just a photo, he loved to stare at it with a lovesick grin and reminisce about everything that made her the perfect girl she is. This was also the time Plagg would make a disgusted face and hide away somewhere, unable to bare the hearts floating over Adrien's head as he thought solely about the pigtailed beauty.

He remembered every interaction with her, no matter how small. He had the Jagged Stone album she designed and signed propped up neatly again the back wall. Adrien still groaned in embarrassment from the way he spluttered, "Can you autograph this for me?" and how she smiled so sweetly as she complied to his request.

 _Marinette was on the cover of a magazine! Of course, Adrien had been one of the thousands of people in line to grab a copy fresh off the press. No, not because Mari's face was on it… Okay, fine. But that was only his first reason. The fact that she collaborated with Jagged Stone, his all-time favorite musician, gave him a sense of pride. He was proud of her for such an accomplishment. He learned from Nino that she loved Jagged Stone too; an excellent conversation starter._

 _The blonde also got himself a copy of Jagged Stone's album for the chance to have it signed. But he wanted Marinette to sign this album. And he already got Jagged's autograph when he was Chat Noir. Not that he could tell anyone that._

 _He stood at the other end of the entrance hall, staring at Marinette at the other end, who was laughing with Alya about something as they read the magazine. Okay, he could do this. Adrien began moving one step at a time, gathering his motivation. All he need to do was say, "Can you autograph this?" Simple enough, right? He could do this. He could do this. He could—_

" _Hi Adrien," Marinette greeted, and suddenly he couldn't do this._

" _H…Hey M-Marinette! Good to see you, my great friend! You good-great?"_ I think my IQ just went down a few points from that _. "So, um, I've been wondering if you sign could this for me? No, I mean, could you have sign this? Ugh! Can you sign this for me?" HE thrust out the album and his silver sharpie, begging in his head for a positive response._

" _O-Oh! Sure thing!" Marinette happily took the items from him and signed her name, even dotting her 'i' with a cute heart. She was so adorable. "Here you go!"_

" _W-wow! Th-thank you!"_

At least he was one of the few with a signed copy from the artist herself. Hung up on a nice little hanger was the scarf she made him for his birthday. It was handmade, which meant she put in the time, effort, and care when she thought about him.

" _Happy birthday Adrien," Marinette said as she greeted him at the main doors to the school, handing him a flat blue box tied nicely with a pink ribbon. "I hope you like it."_

 _Not trusting his mouth in the slightest, Adrien gave a happy grin and nod, then silently untied the ribbon and opened the box. Pulling out the object, he discovered that it was a scarf, and a soft one at that. It could put some of father's designs to shame. "Whoa…"_

" _Do you like it?" Marinette asked, shifting from on foot to the other nervously._

" _Of course I do! Thank you so much, Marinette!" He immediately wrapped it around his neck and pressed it to his face, both to feel its softness and to hide his rose-tinted cheeks. In his excitement, he never realized how fluently he spoke to her most of that day, just radiating appreciation that his crush remembered his birthday. She was happy he existed and showed it._

That was the best birthday ever! Well, until Nino got akumatized but that's a different story. There was a little notebook filled with photos from a photoshoot Marinette and the girls did at the park on day to show off Mari's latest designs.

 _Adrien watched the girls from a park bench, slack jawed. Nino, who was sitting next to him, playfully rolled his eyes and attempted to put Adrien's mouth back to a close position. But it just hung back open as the young model continued watching in his moment of swooning. Marinette was taking photos and being photographed for her latest designs so she could add them to her portfolio._

" _You know, Mr. Model," Nino said, laying a hand on his shoulder, "you could offer to help with posing for her designs, since you're ya know, a_ legit model _?"_

" _How would I even start that conversation?"_

" _I dunno, dude. Maybe something like, 'Hey Marinette, do you wanna bleh, gah, blergh, meeh…'" Nino continued to make a few more spluttering noises before chuckling and leaning his back against the bench._

 _Adrien gave him a finger gun. "My point exactly."_

" _But for real, dude. You can ask her out to get lunch or something."_

" _Then what?"_

" _Well, what do want to happen?" But it was too late, as Nino processed his mistake._

" _We've been over this. When the date is a success, we fall madly in love with each other. Then we get married, live in a good-sized two floor house on a nice quiet street. Obviously, we'll have three kids. Marinette told Alya she'd name her kids Emma, Louis, and Hugo, so who am I to deny her that happy moment? Then we'll get a hamster or two. I'm more of a cat person, but Marinette finds hamsters irresistible." Adrien yammered on for a little bit, divulging all his future fantasies while Nino tipped his cap over his eyes with a groan. His friend's lovesick rantings were starting to get a little on the sad side._

Taped to the back wall was a poem. But it wasn't just any poem. It was Marinette Dupain-Cheng Valentine's Day original. He's read it so many times to lift his spirits that he's memorized it word for word. Plagg even told him that he'd recite it in his sleep if he went to bed after a particularly hard day.

 _Your hair shines like the sun.  
_ _Your eyes are a brilliant green.  
_ _When I look at you I wonder  
_ _All that you think and dream.  
_ _I wish to be your one true love.  
_ _I hope you'll understand.  
_ _My devotion to you with never fade.  
_ _And my heart is in your hand._

 _Adrien read the lines on the paper he fished out of the trash again and again. Marinette wrote a love letter. Marinette wrote a love letter…to him! No one else at school had green eyes and blond hair! Plus, she mentioned whenever she looks at him, which means she must see him often. All signs pointed to one Adrien Agreste._

 _He was over the moon! Marinette secretly loved him! He had to respond. But he was a flustered idiot around her. How could he possibly confess through all his gibberish? Wait. He could write her a response and mail it to her house. Fool-proof. But the fatal flaw was he didn't remember if he signed his name or not._

Tucked in a draw was the shirt Marinette touched after the Evillustrator incident. But you already know how that went. On the table was a ticket for a play his father got him front row seats to see. He didn't expect Marinette to see right next to him. But that fact led to him keeping the ticket to preserve the memory. He also had the ticket for his first live concert, when Marinette got squished next to him thanks to all those people trying to get up from to see Jagged Stone closer up. Not that he minded in the slightest. On the table was also a copy of a special something that Nino had recorded for his film, Horrificator, which never made the final cut.

 _Chloe had once again caused one of his classmates to burst into tears. It definitely wasn't called for. Then again, what else is new? Nino had been getting impatient, and now that the lead was off somewhere, sad and depressed, he asked for someone else to take the lead. Of course, Chloe volunteered. Okay, he could work with that. Even if he wanted Marinette to be cast instead, but she was the producer. Chloe was his childhood friend. She would try her best for his sake…right?_

 _He couldn't have been more wrong about handling Chloe. Because the moment she mentioned that their roles shared a kiss scene, he swore his face turned an ugly green. Forgive him for sounding like a bad person, but Chloe was not on the list of people he'd be okay giving his first kiss to (Marinette obviously ranked first on said list). She was so far off the list, she didn't know it existed. He instinctively pulled back every time Chloe tried to plant one on him._

 _But Marinette opened the classroom door just in time to save the day, making Chloe pull away from him in irritation. He let out a silent breath of relief as Mari sent Chloe away on a fake errand, convincing the blonde that she needed a uniform for her role. Thank goodness that little nightmare was over. He took some water from the snack table and proceeded to sip it, his stress from almost kissing Chloe fading away with each gulp._

" _Marinette, you'll have to play the lead."_

 _Well, there goes the water (down the wrong pipe) as Adrien began coughing up a fit, hunching over the table. Of course, when everyone looked at him with concern, he just told them it went down the wrong way, not the reason why. Did he hear that right?! If Marinette was going to play the lead then… If this was some cartoon, there would be a thermometer next to him with the mercury skyrocketing up to break the top. Oh my god, he was getting the chance to kiss Marinette! But…not like this. He was a cheesy romantic at heart. He wanted their first kiss to be filled with rose petals, candlelight, and just the two of them; not a dozen eyes watching and a camera filming. Then again, a first kiss on film made a terrific memento._

 _He watched out of the corner of his eye as Juleka powdered Marinette's face, prepping her for her sudden appearance on camera. She was unbelievably gorgeous as ever. "Amazing…" he thought, accidentally out loud._

 _He realized this when Marinette turned to him with a slight smile. "Did you say something?"_

 _Adrien backpedaled his words—or single word—and frantically wracked his brain for anything! "I…I said it h-has to be amazing!"_

 _She giggled cutely. "I hope I can live up to those standards then." Adrien was probably going to faint from her sweetness before they could even do the scene._

 _Nino signaled the start of the scene, prompting Adrien to stiffen up just a tad, knowing what was to come. Marinette spoke her lines fluently, like she was a born actress on stage. But it bore none of the glitz and glamour actors often displayed in show biz. It was all natural, Marinette committed to becoming someone else. She was beautiful in words and actions. Then came the moment of truth. She slowly leaned in, standing on her tiptoes to change the height difference between them. Adrien slowly leaned down, closing his eyes and imagining those soft-looking lips meeting his…and…_

" _CUT! I KNEW IT!" Marinette jumped away in fright after hearing Chloe screech after slamming the door open._

Why Chloe, why?! _Wasn't she his friend?! Why could she let him have this?!_

Being the wonderful friend he was, Nino saved to footage and copied it down on a CD for Adrien to watch over and over. He admitted always pausing and rewinding just before his snooty friend had made her "grand entrance." Also, if he got any good with Photoshop, he could see what it would look like if he and Marinette actually did kiss (he's not creepy, just wishful). The charm bracelet she gave him during the gaming tournament was next to the CD, tucked nicely into a little velvet box for safe keeping. And how could he forget the hat sitting on a little shelf above the scarf. His father (thankfully) made a replica of the original design since the original had real feathers, which he was allergic too. Even if the feathers were fake, the memories of it were very much real.

 _Marinette looked so excited when she heard about the design contest. So, of course, he wanted to be there in person when she made her grand unveiling and won the contest. He had no doubt she'd win, hands down. He saw the designs in her notebook and managed to stammer out a few compliments that boosted her confidence._

 _What he didn't expect was for Chloe to have the exact same hat. Adrien knew Marinette was never the kind of person who would cheat or lie—she hated those kinds of people. So he knew Chloe had something to do with this occurrence. He needed proof if he ever wanted to prove Mari's innocence. His father would think he was letting emotions control him if he said he "just knew." Luckily, Marinette came up with precautionary measures for such a time when someone would try to steal her work. Hiding her name within the stitching? Her brilliance never ceased to amaze him. Needless to say, Marinette won the contest._

 _Adrien proudly walked up to Marinette and laid his hands over hands as she held the winning hat. But his confidence, once again, took a plummet as he felt a jolt shoot up his arm as he touched her smooth, porcelain hand. "Um, y-you really did awesome! That was a really cool idea, you know? Of course you know, you made it? Haha…"_

" _Thanks, Adrien!" Marinette cheerfully said. "Try it on! I wanna see how it looks!"_

 _How could he deny his princess? "A-alright." He took the hat from her and placed it atop his head. But suddenly, his nose felt cloggy and his eyes watered. "ACHOO!" Oh no… Were the feathers…real? Great. "Sorry, I'm allergic to feathers. But I'll definitely wear it for the photoshoot! Please don't be sad! See? I'm wearing it! You gotta smile!" And she did, despite him being in hell._

 _All that sneezing and the hour extension on his photoshoot was worth it to see Marinette smile so bright at him._

And finally, propped up against the wall, was a pretty pink umbrella. It was Adrien's most prized possession. It served as the reason the shrine even exists today. Because it was given to him the day he fell in love with its owner. And that memory was something he'd hold close to his heart forever.

 _Adrien walked out of the school building, his shoulders sagging. His first day of school and he already blew it over a misunderstanding. If you asked him if he'd rather go back to homeschooling, he'd say not a chance. A drop of water hit his nose, causing the blonde to look up in confusion. Huh. The forecast didn't say anything about rain. Guess he could wait it out until his bodyguard and Nathalie arrived. Maybe they would have an umbrella on hand._

 _He waited, leaning against the wall, until he spotted a familiar figure out of the corner of his eye. He recognized those pigtails. It was Marinette. She glanced at him and he instantly stiffened up, suddenly unsure what to say. After a brief moment, he knew where to start. But as he opened his mouth, the words fell dead on his tongue when he saw her blank expression as she opened up her pink umbrella and advanced a couple feet. She probably didn't want to talk to him. She was probably ignoring him. But he wanted to clear things up. He wanted to—_

" _Hey," Marinette's voice rang out in the silence between them, breaking Adrien out of his thoughts. She sighed and turned toward him, her eyes focused on him. "I…I'm sorry. I'm sorry for judging you too soon just because you're Chloe's friend. Nino told me everything. And I appreciate that you tried to remove the gum. I did some thinking and…and I realize that it must be hard, coming to a school for the first time and everything. You never had the chance to make many friends. So…let me help you with that." With a gentle smile, she shifted her umbrella over to him so that it was positioned over his head._

 _Thunder resounded from above as he looked, really looked, into her bluebell eyes. When did they get so blue? They were filled with sincerity and warmth. Her pink lips formed a smile that displayed pure kindness. Mind still not all there, Adrien reached out for the umbrella handle, experiencing a small jolt when their fingers touched. He finally managed to take the umbrella with shaky fingers, green still meeting blue as time seemed frozen. His heartbeat accelerated at the thought of staying by her side forever._

" _I live across the street, so you'll need it more than I do." With one final smile, Marinette descended the steps of the school, ready to jog home. "See you tomorrow!" she called over she shoulder._

" _Y-yeah!" Adrien called back. "I'll see you today—I mean t-tomorrow!"_

 _When Marinette was out of eyesight, the young model fell to his knees, not caring if his jeans were soaked by the wet pavement. "Wow…" he muttered, a silly grin spreading across his face._

" _Oooh~!" Plagg teased. "Looks like someone's in love~"_

 _In love…? Adrien placed a hand to his chest, feeling his rapidly beating heart. He couldn't see it, but his cheeks were flushed red. Yeah… He was in love… He was in love with a wonderful girl._

Before Adrien knew it, the sun had begun setting, painting the sky an array of pretty colors. He stared at it for a while, thinking of Marinette and how she was just like the sunset. She was bright but not too harsh. She was easy on the eyes, but could just as easily burn those eyes out if got on her bad side (which was easy for Chloe but difficult for everyone else). The model placed a final kiss on Marinette's photo before closing the compartment to the shrine. He fell back onto his bed with a happy sigh, shutting his peridot eyes and hoping tomorrow will be the day he tells Marinette his feelings. He subconsciously knows that day is far off, but hey, a guy can dream.

* * *

 **I wanted to do this because of the many requests for certain episodes. I don't include LadyNoir because this is a Adrienette/Marichat focused story. I'm landfill-quality trash for those ships. And thanks to the newest episode, I theorize that it will sail.**

 **Now, I want to make some things clear:**

 **Dark Cupid Decision** **= I won't be putting it in this story. But since so many people want a reverse crush Dark Cupid episode, I've decided to give in and I will write it separately and post it when I finish writing several main chapters I have planned for Misadventures of Adrien Agreste.**

 **Animan Chapter** **= You know when you're doing something, and you start cringing so bad that your hands refused to carry on? Yeah, that's how it went when I tried to do this. I like Alya, and I know the type of girl she is. She's confident in many things, including her love life. She'd march right up to Adrien and ask him out. He'd refuse because he likes Marinette and boom, story over. Alya isn't the type to get bent out of shape over a boy she developed feelings for not too long ago. So I won't be do a chapter on Animan.**

 **YES, I HAVE SEEN GLACIATOR AND IT IS…well, I'm a little disappointed. But I don't hate it. You see, I got really hyped for a (even a little) romantic Marichat scene. But it was just Chat Noir being depressed and not finding any comfort from Marinette's words to him. I plan to make my version of this what I'm sure a lot of Marichat shippers out there desperately needed. Because I'm one of them and I know what I want!**

 **I provide my theory for the episode's future effect now.  
** **Marinette will realize her growing feelings for Chat Noir. With this comes lessening feelings for Adrien. Marinette can be a little more confident around Adrien, letting her Ladybug side show. Adrien starts falling for Marinette, but it's not until an instigator (like Luka) comes along that he fully accepts his feelings. And thus, the Reverse Crush AU we love so much will become canon. We were told that the love square would evolve after all.**

 **That's all for now, folks! Thanks for tuning in!**

 **And don't forget to vote on my poll! I really appreciate you guys doing that for me!**


	8. My Gift To You

**This is the La Befana episode. But there is a clear difference in this. Adrien knows Marinette is the one who gave him the scarf because she was able to casually hand it to him on his birthday. And he clearly appreciated the sentiment.**

 **I was also listening to music box melodies while writing this, so if it turns to fluff with a heaping helping of cheesy, I blame the music.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" was the first thing Adrien shouted to the heavens when he woke up this morning.

"Ugh," Plagg whined from his trash can, "please, not this early... Cheese, give me strength…"

It was a great, no _fantastic_ , day! It was a day that meant more to him than any other day. It was Marinette's birthday today; the day she came into existence, stealing his breath away with her mere presence. How could he not celebrate it? He practically scrambled around his room while doing a little dance at the same time. He was just filled with joy as he went through his morning routine.

"Happy Birthday," Adrien said to the picture of Marinette he kept, giving it a kiss before grabbing the present for her out of the shrine and putting it into his bag. Since she got him such a meaningful gift for his birthday, he only found it right to put consideration into hers. Now if only he could give it to her without stammering. That would be nice.

"Shut up!" his kwami whined, bursting from his resting place. He had just about enough of Adrien saying the same two words over and over. "You sound like that stupid cartoon about the pile of frozen water that can talk and dance!"

"First of all," Adrien argued, "Frosty is a classic. Second, today is going to be great! I can feel it! And your teasing can't put me down at all!" He then grabbed Plagg and put him in his shirt pocket, practically skipping out the door on his way to grab breakfast then head out to Marinette's surprise party, goofy grin and all.

"Well," Plagg muttered, his Chosen not hearing him in the slightest, "there's one thing you and Frostbite have in common. You both melt in front of a pretty girl."

* * *

Adrien knew Marinette was sharp. She was one of the smartest girls in school. Yes, that was on the list of things he loved about her. He had a feeling she expected the surprise party. To be fair, her classmates weren't the most subtle people around. But he was still happy to be part of the experience, and that Marinette would want him to be there for such a special occasion.

The model arrived at the party early. He waved to Nino and Alya, who was smirking about something. From his instincts, he could predict why. Also, since Nino and Alya were together, the former could never keep his mouth shut. Couple that with the fact that his girlfriend is an extremely observant journalist looking for the next big thing, spotting even the littlest details. She knew. That was fact at this point.

"Alright," Adrien said with a sigh, "Lay it on me."

"You have a crush on Marinette!" the journalist squealed in delight. God, for a black cat, he was so lucky no one else had arrived yet.

"Y-yeah. I do…" He scratched his blond head sheepishly, a blush rising on his cheeks. It was more than just a crush to him. It was… "I…I really love her."

"Awwwww!" Alya gushed. "You two need to get together! Oh my god, Mari's finally gonna get a boyfriend!"

Adrien panicked, unable to let his secret love's best (nosy) friend be a part of the equation. "No!" he suddenly shouted. "Please don't do that! You can't let her know! I want to be her friend first. I want to get to know her and not stammer like an idiot whenever I look at her. I want to just be there for her, whether she needs a shoulder to cry on or someone to laugh with. If the day comes where she loves me too, then I'll be happy it wasn't a forced love."

The blonde held his face in his hands, cheeks blazing red after realizing what he just said in front of his friends. When he peeked through his fingers, Alya and Nino were gaping like fish. Did he say something wrong?

"Wow, dude…" Nino muttered, shocked expression never fading.

Alya put her hands to her heart, also holding her shocked expression. "You really do love her…" She slowly set the phone she was holding back into her pocket. "Alright, Sunshine. I won't meddle…much." The smirk that formed told him all he needed to know.

"Thanks, guys."

"So what did you get her?" Nino asked, eyeing the small wrapped box with curiosity.

Adrien chuckled and lightly punched his best friend's shoulder. "It's a surprise." He was lucky _that_ was the time everyone else started filing in, giving and party supplies in hand.

* * *

When Marinette finally arrived at the party, Adrien's heart raced. The flush of her cheeks as she looked around in awe and joy was enough to make him combust on the spot. But he held his cool as best he could. Her eyes landed on him and she happily waved at him. A grin stretched to both his cheeks as he enthusiastically waved back. Caught in his daze, Adrien didn't realize he was still waving and gawking until Alya pushed his hand down and lifted his jaw up off the ground.

Adrien was ready to turn into a puddle of goo, just seeing Marinette enjoy herself as Nino turned up the music and everyone danced and laughed. He put a hand to the pocket his gift to her was in and sighed. He was a coward; a complete and utter coward. Might as well throw him on the curb for garbage day because he was completely useless in mind and body when it came to Marinette's charms.

Taking a big gulp, Adrien's feet began moving as he slowly but surely made his way over to Marinette. His nerves caused his hands to get sweaty and shake ever so subtly. _I can do this_ , he repeatedly chanted in his head. He kept his eyes focused on her and she talked about something with Rose and Juleka.

"M-Mari…Marinette!" Adrien called out, causing said person to turn to him and smile.

"Adrien!" she greeted. "I'm glad you made it!"

That sentence alone made his stomach do flips. "Yeah! I'm glad you make it too. I-I mean, of course you showed up it's your part, after all… Anyway! I, um, I got you…a little something…for the scarf you g-gave me…" He was sure his cheeks were turning redder by the second, but he didn't care one bit as Marinette smiled so sweetly he was worried he'd get diabetes.

Marinette plucked the gift out of his hands in excitement, his present making her so eager by simply being real. "Oh, Adrien! You didn't have to get me anything! Just you being here is enough for me!" Adrien subtly checked his pulse to make sure he was still amongst the living. Nope, still beating. Heaven on earth does exist.

But as she was about to open it, something out of the corner of his eye shot at Marinette. "Look out!" he shouted, grabbing her and moving them both out of the way. Whatever that shot had hit was turned to coal.

The model turned to the direction the shot came from. Great, another akuma. But what would it have against sweet, perfect Marinette? She looked like what would happen if the Wicked Witch of the West joined a biker gang. Nevertheless, she was after Marinette. He grabbed her hand and tried to make a run for it, overwhelmed with déjà vu. But the one calling herself La Befana kept shooting at them. She missed time and time again as everyone began ducking for cover. And it even caused Adrien and Marinette to separate in the intense moment. But while they were running away, he picked up one important detail. That akuma was Marinette's grandmother. It was eating away at Mari that she basically got her grandma akumatized.

Chat Noir would find Ladybug and help put the smile right back on her face. But for now, he had a princess to hide away in a safe tower. Adrien ducked behind a tree and let Plagg out. "Plagg, claws out!"

After he transformed, he threw his baton at the akuma's gun before she could hit her target; Marinette. Then he caught it when it bounced back to him.

"You are one bad grandma jamma," he quipped, tossing his baton up and down.

"Black cats are nothing but trouble," she retorted. "But a pretty white kitty would be perfect."

When she shot at him, Chat dodged each bullet. "And here I thought cats were a witch's best friend."

This wasn't in his fantasy of how this day would go at all. He was being chased and shot at for goodness sake! But something caught him off guard. La Befana was going after Marinette, even turning the present he got for her to coal! But that wasn't important. He had to get Marinette to safety if he ever hoped to keep fighting with a clear head. The thought of his crush turning to coal also made his stomach churn. Their friends even tried to join in the fight, holding off the angels that were under the akuma's control. It gave him just enough of a distraction to sneak behind the table Marinette was hiding behind.

"We meet again, tough girl," Chat said with a wink, "Let's get you off the battlegrounds, shall we?"

Marinette nodded and took his hand. Chat scooped her up into his arms and extended his baton, lifting them up to the rooftops. He was lucky he was already jumping because he would've been jumping and dancing from pure happiness. He'd had a dream about saving Marinette once—although, it was from a threat way more trivial than an akuma, like a mugger—and she'd praise his courage and kiss him. It felt like a fairy tale. The hero rushes in, sweeping the damsel off her feet to save her from peril, and then they fall in love. Of course, he knew Marinette wasn't your typical princess. She's kind and caring like a true princess. But she's also intelligent, quick-witted, funny, and sassy. She didn't like bullies like Chloe bring her down and had a fiery temper that burned like a wildfire. She never backed down from an occasion to help someone in need. She was absolute perfection in his eyes, down to the smallest of flaws. He wasn't sure how much she could do against La Befana though. The Evillustrator incident gave her an advantage since the akuma promised to not harm her. But this akuma was dead set on turning Marinette to a pile of coal. And that wasn't something he could allow.

So, like in the fairy tales, Chat Noir found the tallest tower to hide his princess away in; the Eiffel Tower. The black cat gently let Marinette down onto her feet, smiling as he saw how she wasn't scared at all by this situation.

"Don't worry, _purr_ incess," the hero remarked, "Ladybug and I will bring your grandma back, safe and sound." He jumped onto the rail, ready to launch himself, but remembered an important detail. He looked back at her, the smile on his face reaching the depths of his green eyes. "Oh, and happy birthday." He wanted her to know that no matter what form he took on, he was happy she was born into this world.

"Th-thank you, Chat Noir," Marinette stuttered, a tiny smile dancing on her lips. "That means a lot…coming from you."

"You're welcome." And he was off to save the world once again.

* * *

Once Ladybug joined the little party, Chat Noir worked with her. There had been a moment when La Befana headed for the Eiffel Tower and he immediately rushed to get ahead of her to protect Marinette. But when he got there, she was gone. He sighed in relief, but was also wracked with worry. Ladybug reassured him that Marinette was safe and that she told her that she would go back to where her friends were, even if they were turned to coal. Maybe La Befana wouldn't look in the same location twice.

Adrien was more than relieved when he saw Marinette at the party that was back in full swing, Marinette's parents and grandmother as added attendees. He almost dropped to his know just seeing her laughing again like her grandmother didn't just try to turn her to coal. But now…now was the moment of truth. He glanced down at the small wrapped box in his hand. Adrien found his present on the ground when he returned from saving the day, and remembered that Marinette didn't get the chance to open it.

The model was so wrapped up in his thoughts, clutching the box in his grip, that he almost didn't feel the tap on his shoulder. Adrien jumped back, the sudden contact shocking him. He thought he was flying for a few seconds. "M-M-Marinette! H-Hey!" Did he just go through puberty again? Because that's how he sounded.

"Hey Adrien," Marinette said, her cute smile accentuating the adorable freckles that dotted across her nose. "I realized that I never got to open your gift with everything that was going on." Her cupped her delicate hands and held them out to him. "May I?"

"O-Oh… Oh yeah! H-here!" He stumbled with the gift for a moment before finally getting it into her hands.

"Thank you." She gently tore open the wrapper, causing his heart to twist with suspense. When she opened the box and pulled out the gift, she looked at it in confusion, then looked to him for an explanation.

 _She's staring! She's waiting! Say something, dummy!_ "L-Lucky charm…" _Okay, good start. Now try it without looking like you just saw it for the first time too_. "W-well, you gave me that bracelet and, um, I always carry it around." He reached into his back pocket to pull out the bracelet she gave him. "So I thought 'I should make Marinette a new one,' y-you know?"

His peridot eyes stared at the ground after he finished speaking, a blush spreading across his cheeks and the tip of his nose. He fidgeted on the spot, nervous about her response. Did she not like it? Would she say how lame it was?

He certainly didn't expect her to launch herself at him, wrapping her arms around his waist as she hugged him. "Thank you, Adrien! This is the best gift ever!"

"Y-you…you're so great…" Realizing what he said, he instantly backpedaled, as per usual. "I-I mean it's great… It's great that you think that and all. W-what I mean to say… You're w-welcome."

She smiled happily and tied it around her wrist. Then she bounced off to show off her gift, leaving Adrien in a daze. She hugged him… She said thank you… It may have been her birthday, but he felt like the one who experience the happiest day ever. He looked at the charm bracelet he received one last time before pocketing it and joining everyone in the party fun, especially the cake. He didn't need diet rules tonight. His princess was sweet enough to send him into a sugar coma, so what's one slice of cake?

* * *

 **THERE! I'm hoping to at least finish the Glaciator chapter, which is the chapter after the next one, before I go back to school on Monday and I'll have less time to write my stories. But this series has been so popular and I've received so much support on it that I don't want to stop. I'm glad you enjoy it and I don't mind dedicating as much of my time as I can to it. So thank you, loyal readers.**

 **Review if you want the next chapter (Gigantitan) out soon! And don't forget to vote on the poll I have up: Do you think Miraculous Ladybug is considered anime-inspired? I need as many votes as I can get. THANK YOU AND GOOD NIGHT! Literally, it's like midnight here.**


	9. The (Not So) Fool-Proof Plan

**Here is the Gigantitan episode I promised! I don't have much to say, so enjoy! I'm sure I'll have more to say when episode 10 drops and someone puts the important scenes in English subtitles. Those people move quick. I found English subtitles for the Marichat and LadyNoir scenes just a few hours after Glaciator first came out.**

 **Anyway, enjoy.**

* * *

When Adrien asked Nino for favors, his best friend always went above and beyond to help. Despite not knowing each other for years, they were really close buds. So when Adrien asked Nino to help him with a plan he developed to get a day alone with Marinette, the boy practically dragged the blond to his house, told his parents to not bother them as they went to his room, stepped out to make some calls, and here we are now. The guys of the class were gathered in Nino's room as owner of said room paced back and forth like he was in the military.

"All you dudes are here to help our boy Adrien score a date with a very special girl," Nino declared like he was some army general, but more laid back.

"Yeah~," Kim interject with a snicker, "Marinette~" He fake cooed and made kissy faces, causing the other guys in the room to chuckle along.

Adrien, on the other hand, felt his face go completely red. "What?! How–? What–? Huh?!" Mortification was the only thing he could feel at the moment. "How did you even know?!"

"You have been quite obvious about this 'little' crush of yours," Max answered while the other guys nodded, like it was the most obvious fact on the planet.

"Does Marinette know?!" She could _not_ know! Not like this!

"Nah, man," the jock of the group reassured, "You're safe."

"Marinette has this…innocence about her," Nate added. That's right. Nathanael was in the group now. He had gotten over his crush on Marinette, so that meant less competition. "It makes it so she doesn't notice things that can be obvious sometimes." On the bright side, having someone who was once equally dedicated to Marinette, and was able to say a full sentence around her, was a great advantage to find out more about her in the romantic sense.

"Phew…" Adrien wiped his forehead of nonexistent sweat.

"Now, for the battle plan," Nino declared, rolling out a large map of the Trocadero and the park nearby. "Operation: Our Boy Gets Game will be set right here." It wasn't the most subtle or clever title in the world, but that wasn't what mattered.

"What are the X's for?" Ivan asked, pointing at the map where eight different colored post-it notes marked with an X were stuck to the map.

"Each one stands for each of us," Adrien explained, going through the map he tirelessly worked on. "Yellow is me, blue is Nino, green is Max, red is Kim, orange is Nate, and white is Ivan. Finally, pink is Marinette and purple is Alya. Each one of you guys will be doing something to make sure this goes as smooth as possible."

"It would help if we know this grand plan of yours before going into further details," Max stated. "Basics are important."

"Yeah," Kim agreed, "tell us how you're gonna woo the little lady."

With permission to speak, Adrien's love-induced brain began its mad descent into the grand plan of winning Marinette. "I'll have all the basics covered, so don't worry about that. Marinette hangs out at the park on Sundays, since it's her favorite spot to get ideas for designs. And this Sunday—"

"Hold up," Nathanael interrupted with a confused expression. "How do you know Marinette spends Sundays at the park and why?"

"Don't question it," Nino muttered, side-glancing the redhead. "I wish I had your blissful ignorance sometimes."

Nate backed off and let Adrien continue. Adrien held out his hand in a playful expectant manner. Nino got the message and handed him a yard stick that was on the floor. "Marinette will probably be with Alya that day, which is where Nino comes in." He pointed the stick at Nino. "Since we have an inside man, Nino can easily distract his girlfriend and lead her away, making Marinette totally available. Max," he pointed the ruler at the scrawny number-lover, "it'll be your job to keep her in place. Knowing Marinette, she'll get curious as to what's taking so long and will probably go check on Alya. So you'll be there with your long-winded speeches to make sure she doesn't go anywhere. Now here's the hard part. Nino will get Alya's phone and text Marinette that she had something come up and will be gone for the rest of the day. That's your signal, Max, to get out of there. When Marinette starts leaving, that's when it really kicks off." Adrien moved more post-it notes around to visualize his plan.

"Ivan and Kim," Adrien pointed to the athlete and gentle giant respectively, "are the muscle and behind-the-scenes guys of this operation. Kim knows how to run fast, giving him a greater chance of covering a big area in a small amount of time. I'll text you when to start. Today, Andre is supposed to be somewhere along the Seine River and we only have a few hints to go off of. So you'll be doing the searching and text me the location once you do find him. Ivan, your job is crucial. It's the biggest step to avoid my father and the Gorilla from ruining this. You will put a few No Parking signs around, which will prevent the Gorilla from snagging me up with his car so easily when I _should_ be getting home, no thanks to my unreasonable curfew. Kim, once you get back, you'll alert any police officers nearby that the Gorilla is in a No Parking zone. And I'll 'conveniently' have a dead phone battery, so he can't reach me. I'll deal with whatever punishment later. And finally, Nathanael," he positioned the ruler to point at the redhead "you will be lookout. I've arranged a carriage ride to wait at the front of the park for me and Marinette, so you'll give me the signal when you see Marinette leave, but you'll also tell the carriage when to approach us. The carriage will pick us up, take us to André's with the directions I provide. We share a legendary lovers ice cream as Kim bikes by throwing rose petals. The two of us fall madly in love, date from that point on, and marry after high school. The End."

When he looked around the room, all his friends, sans Nino, were gawking at him like he just told them about the story problem he found in _Raiders of the Lost Ark_. He raised an eyebrow in confusion. "What?"

Max coughed and pushed up his glasses. "You certainly have this plan made in extremely fine detail."

"Yeah, and?" Adrien asked, confused as to why this was such a big deal. In most of the movies and anime he watched, the guy normally came up with a grand, elaborate scheme to get the girl. They usually do by the end credits.

"You were right," Kim said, looking to Nino, "We shouldn't have asked."

"So, will you help me?" Adrien asked, hoping for a definitive answer to _something_.

"Well, duh!" the jock said with a thumbs-up.

"Marinette helped me with Mylene," Ivan stated with a smile, "so I want to help her be happy too."

"I promise to make her the happiest girl alive," the model reassured.

"One question," Nate suddenly said, raising his hand. "What about you? Where will you be in all this?"

The blonde perked up, confident smile on his face. "That's easy. I," he moved pointed to his assigned post-it note on the map, "will be just around the corner waiting for Marinette. Once she's in sight, I'll go up and talk to her while Nate sends the carriage towards us. I just have to say—"

But he was interrupted by a bunch of gurgling noises and different, unrelated words like "upstairs, hula, turtle, horseshoe," all courtesy of Kim. His antics caused everyone in the room to burst out laughing. Even Nino was laughing and wiping tears from his eyes! So much for friends having your back…

Nino wrapped his arm around Adrien's shoulders and pulled him close, coming down from his laughter. "You can't deny the truth, bro. You aren't exactly a suave Casanova when it comes to Marinette."

"I can be plenty smooth!" Adrien argued.

"Name one time," Kim retorted.

"There was the time I— Well, what about that day— Okay, but what about when Nino and I—" He was failing miserably at arguing back. "Okay, fine. I see your point. But I'm sure I can gain the confidence with you guys around supporting me."

"And be there we shall, my dude."

* * *

Everything was off to a smooth start. Nino had taken Alya away from Marinette, completing phase one. Since Alya knew about his crush on Marinette, Nino probably had a much easier time to convince her to leave Mari's side for a bit. Adrien hid behind some bushes, watching Marinette as she sketched out new ideas, occasionally looking up at the Eiffel Tower. He couldn't help but stare, thinking about how cute it was when she stuck her tongue out in concentration.

"Adrien!" a voice shouted into his ear from his earpiece, making him topple over from his squatting position.

"Well that was elegant," Plagg sarcastically commented from atop Adrien's head.

"Marinette is currently going south at a speed of 4 meters per hour," Max's voice rang from the earpiece.

"Wait, what?!"

Sure enough, when he looked up, Marinette was walking away from her spot and looking down at her phone with a pout. Then, she pocketed her phone and kept walking. Adrien scrambled to stand up and rushed his way over to her direction, trying to reach the corner he was going to hide behind and then "conveniently" bump into Marinette while she was going home. On his way, there he saw the many No Parking signs Ivan had arranged. But there was one thing he didn't want to see; the Gorilla with an unhappy expression making his way toward the park and an akuma trailing after him. He gasped, needing to diffuse the situation before his chauffeur could get akumatized.

But the sound of a baby that was close by laughing instantly seemed to calm him down. So he was a big softie, huh? That wasn't surprising. But would the akuma just disappear? He didn't have time to dwell on it as the ground began to shake beneath his feet. Adrien looked around frantically for the cause of the shaking. He didn't have to look far, because stomping around was a giant akuma. But it wasn't your typical akuma. It was a baby.

When he looked around, Marinette had disappeared. She probably left to get to safety. That was good.

" _Sooo_ , no ice cream then?" his kwami asked.

"Not now. We have work to do. Plagg, claws out!"

* * *

He was exhausted. Adrien didn't think a baby akuma could be more difficult than a full-grown one. Babies were so easy to please. Why did he have to be wrong so often? The baby ran him and Ladybug rampant, all for a lollipop. But by Ladybug's luck, they managed to save the day once more.

But now…another challenge awaited him. He looked at Marinette as he stood not far behind her, tugging the collar of his shirt out of nervousness. He never got the chance to ask her out, or get her on a carriage ride, or eat ice cream with her. Adrien really felt hopeless at this point. All that planning down the drain. He just wanted to go hope, flop on his bed, and mourn this missed opportunity.

"You can still salvage this, dude," Nino, who was next to him, advised. "Just get over there and ask her to take a walk of something. Walk her around the park, to her house, anywhere your lovesick heart desires!"

His friend's pep talks always seemed to do the trick. The sorrow that filled him changed to determination in an instant, already imaging him and Marinette walking hand in hand. "You're right, Nino!" He puffed out his chest and descended the steps with confidence. "Hey, Marinette!" he called out to her, happiness bubbling in his chest that manifested from his fantasies.

But when she smiled and greeted him back, his confidence (once again, surprise, surprise) popped like a balloon; just as quick too. "Oh! Hey Adrien! Fancy meeting you here."

"Yeah! Fancy seeing you here too! I mean, not like I was waiting for you or anything." _Way to be obvious, loser_. "But, uh, you must be pretty. No, wait! I mean you must've been pretty busy! Not to say you're not pretty. You're so amazing and all. So I-I wanted to ask, uh, if you—" A loud honk cut off his question. Both teens look to see Gorilla honking for the town car Adrien was supposed to be picked up in.

"Sounds like you're needed," Marinette commented jokingly. "I should really get home too."

"M-Marinette, wait!" he called out, grabbing her arm as she turned to leave. "I-I…what I mean is…would you l-like to…" She looked up at him with those gorgeous bluebell eyes patiently and he thought his heart would burst then and there. _Ask her! Ask if you can take her home!_ "W-would you s-show me you n-new designs tomorrow…?" Yup. This was hell. He died and broke the crust of the earth descending into the fiery pits instead of soaring above the clouds. Why did his brain have to malfunction now?!

Another loud honk indicated that his chauffeur was getting agitated and he needed to be home soon. "Alright!" his crush responded with enthusiasm. "Look forward to it!" And with that, Marinette turned on her heel and left, waving goodbye until her was out of sight.

Once he could no longer see her in the distance, Adrien dropped to his knees, tangling his fingers in his blonde hair out of frustration. "WHY DO YOU HATE ME?!" he cried out towards the blue sky.

"Well, dude," Nino said, patting his friend on the back, "you'll have another chance tomorrow when she shows you her designs."

"Know him, he'll keep trying for the next 20 years," Kim commented with a shake of his head.

"One day, I'm sure you two will be great together," Ivan said, trying to console the infatuated model.

But their words only did so much. He just chickened out of asking the girl of his dreams to sit next to him for 20-30 minutes, in a car that would put them in close proximity, until they made it to her house. Her parents would've loved a guy who made sure their daughter got home safe. But _no_. He spews that garbage out of his mouth. Curse his rotten luck!

* * *

 **I hope to finish the Glaciator chapter by tomorrow after I finish fangirling over the newest episode coming out tomorrow. Until then lovelies!**

 **Review please! I love reading your comments! And don't forget to answer the Miraculous Ladybug poll I have up! THANK YOU AND GOOD NIGHT!**


	10. The Balcony Visit

**HOW COULD I NOT DO THIS?! It's the fricking episode with the freaking balcony scene! I'm such Marichat trash! I wish there were some things the episode had during the Marichat scene though.**

 **So here I am, turning (almost) everything about Glaciator on its head to make it a fluffy, sugary sweet Marichat and Adrienette story with a reverse crush AU and scenes we WISH happened differently.**

 **ACTION!**

* * *

How Adrien came up with this plan, he may never figure out. Apparently, he thought it was a good idea to woo the girl of his dreams with a romantic night on a rooftop while transformed as the well-loved superhero Chat Noir. But his other plan kind of fell through the roof when he wasn't allowed to leave the house to hang out with his friends. They had found where André, the legendary ice cream vendor of love, set up shop for the day and the were planning to pay him a visit.

Nino and Alya were already a couple, and so were Ivan and Mylene. The latter couple happily told everyone about how they have their picture up on his cart now; one of the many successful couples to come across the vendor. And, oh, how he fantasized about one day going to André's ice cream cart and seeing _his_ photo up there; a photo of him and his sweet Marinette in a loving embrace as they shared a single cone of ice cream. But thanks to his father, the hopes of said fantasy coming true tonight had be shattered, left in little pieces on the ground to be crunched under the feet of passersby.

If Adrien couldn't go anywhere, the Chat Noir would have to take his place. The blonde immediately got to work, setting everything up to make it seem like he was still in his room. He plugged his mp3 into the speakers and turned it on, soft piano music filling the room. He made sure, twice, that the door to his room was locked as well so no one could enter. With those steps complete, Adrien looked out at the sun as it began to set in the sky, painting beautiful colors high above his head. A night under the stars with his favorite girl sounded better and better.

"Plagg, claws out!"

He leapt out the window he had opened and soared across the Parisian skies, looking for the perfect spot. Everything about this needed to be perfect. At last, he found a rooftop that was of a good shape and size to have a nice evening on. And it gave him a view of Marinette's balcony, so he knew when she would come back home. When he thought of his pigtailed crush, his chest tightened. Adrien remembered how she was going out to the ice cream shop as the only single person in their group of friends. He wanted to be there. He wanted to offer to share so they wouldn't feel so alone. He wanted to be sitting next to her, feeding her and wiping her face if some ice cream got on it. But he couldn't do anything about that. He could do one better.

Chat sat everything up from the candles to the rose petals. He set the candles on the ledge above each vertical rail, accentuating them with flowers in a carefully laid out pattern. Of course, he wouldn't light the candles until nightfall, so they wouldn't melt too much. Then, he scattered rose petals on the ground, moving some aside to make a walkway so they wouldn't step all over them. Finally, he laid out some red and white pillows and put a single red rose on them. Now, all that was left to do was wait for his princess to get back home. Then, with speech already planned, he'd sweep her off her feet to this beautiful location and hopefully woo her this way. He wanted her to accept both sides of him. Maybe it was best to start with the side that could actually be articulate around her. God only know Adrien needed _a lot_ of help in that department, unlike Chat Noir.

Even when the sun had set, and the moon had risen, Chat waited. He stared at his princess's balcony, knowing she'd eventually show up. It was her house after all. That's when it happened. He saw Marinette pop out of her trap door and rise up onto her balcony, leaning against the railing. His heart lurched into his throat when his cat-like eyes focused on her. The moonlight illuminated her face, accentuating her features; her sweet rosy lips, her cute button nose, and… His heart plummeted. Her bluebell eyes, normally so cheerful and full of life, were so crestfallen. It felt like someone just told her what sending a dog to that "special farm" really meant. He couldn't stand the mere sight of her being down in the dumps. Well, now's a good a time as any.

* * *

"Good evening, Purrincess," Chat Noir greeted, which startled the pigtailed girl from her musings.

She turned around, shock still present in her features. "Ch-Chat Noir!"

"Sorry. I didn't mean to frighten you." He used his cat-like reflexes to hop down onto her railing, keeping his balance with his feet.

"S-so, what are you doing here? Not that I don't want you around or anything! I mean, surely you have a lot of hero stuff to do!" Marinette babbled on, her nervousness causing her sadness to slowly dissipate, but some of it remained.

"Well, what kind of gentleman would I be if I saw a sad princess alone in her tower and not offer to her?" he asked, sitting on the rail and scooting closer to her.

"So you noticed, huh…?" the designer twirled a lock of her ink-colored hair around her finger. "It's silly. Just wondering what could be. I know I shouldn't be so upset over it…" She leaned against the railing, looking up at the moon with forlorn eyes.

Chat smiled with an idea and jumped off her railing, onto her balcony. He held out his gloved hand to her, patiently waiting. "Well, since it's just the two of us, I can try to turn that frown upside down."

She looked at him with wide eyes, then down at his hand, and then back to his face. "Tell me, Chaton," she teasingly remarked, "do you do this for every princess you pay rooftop visits to?"

He smirked and gave her a nod. "Of course. But to tell you the truth, that number of princesses I know comes down to one."

She gasped silently and then giggled, a gentle smile making its way onto her face. With a nod, she laid her hand in his. To show off a little, he gave her a little twirl and pulled her close by the waist, then held her bridal style in his arms. She giggled a little, making him smile wider.

"Hold on tight and close your eyes, okay?" She complied and shut her eyes, keeping her arms firmly around his neck.

The cat hero leapt into the air, landing on rooftops and jumping again as he traveled to their destination. He finally came upon the rooftop he had set up and landed gracefully, not faltering for a second since he had _extremely_ precious cargo on board. His grip tightened ever so slightly, just wanting a few more seconds holding her in his arms. As Adrien, he could only dream of this moment. But it was becoming a reality, even if it was as Chat Noir. He set her down gently, letting her stand while still holding gently onto her hand.

"Okay. Open your eyes."

And when she did, they were filled with amazement. She gazed with wonder as she looked all around, clasping her hands together like she was saying a prayer. Her previously sad eyes were filled with pure joy. "This is incredible! It's…it's…perfect!"

"I'm glad you like it," Chat said, making his way over to the pillows he set and plucking the rose off them. Then, he turned back to her and started making his way over. Leaning in close, he presented the rose to her. "A pretty rose for a pretty girl. And it really matches your cheeks."

"How does it match my chee—eep!" She was cut off when Chat placed a gentle kiss on her soft cheek, causing her cheeks to redden.

"Like that." He took her free hand in both of his and stared into her gorgeous bluebell eyes. She was so close. He could almost taste her lips on his. He just needed to lean a little closer. But he wouldn't without her say-so. "Princess… Marinette…"

"Ch-Chat…" Marinette whispered, her gaze focused on his face. "I…I w-want to t-tell you…that I…I lo—look out!"

She suddenly jumped back in fright, pointing behind him. He instinctively pulled her behind him and took out his baton, twirling it around to shield them from the oncoming blast of…ice cream? Chat looked to see a giant snowman scouring the streets and turning the panicking civilians into ice cream. He quickly scooped up Marinette and jumped away from the rooftop, hiding them in the shadows as the akumatized villain searched the streets, calling for Marinette to come out.

"We need to get you to safety," Chat said, instantly knowing where to go. When the villain wasn't looking, he jumped back to Marinette's balcony, carefully letting her get down the hatch leading to her bedroom. "Stay safe, okay? I'll fix this."

"Thank you, Chat Noir."

He looked back at her and smiled happily. "Anytime, princess," he said before jumping off, not seeing Marinette blow him a kiss while holding the rose to her heart.

* * *

It was odd, but also nice, to see Ladybug in such a good mood when they set off to fight André, the ice cream man who had been akumatized. He honestly had no idea while she was smiling the whole time she suggested they act as a couple to get close to Glaciator since he didn't attack couples. But part of him was reluctant in doing it. He had no intention to betray Marinette, pretending or otherwise. Chat eventually gave in when they were backed against a wall, though. They were able to save André, purify the akuma, and he reluctantly didn't say anything to the vendor when he insinuated Ladybug and Chat Noir were a couple. Best not to make him sad and get him akumatized again.

Once Ladybug was out of sight, Chat decided to go and make sure Marinette was safe. He leapt to her balcony and carefully knocked on the hatch. "Princess…?" He jumped back, sitting on the banister as Marinette popped out.

"Chat Noir?" she questioned, stepping back out onto her balcony for the second time in one night.

"I just wanted to make sure you were alright. It looks like Glaciator didn't get to you."

"Yeah. I'm alright thanks to you."

There was a moment of silence between the two, both with words left unsaid. "Well, I better get going," Chat said, mentally bashing himself over the head for not saying what he so desperately wanted to. But those three little words could be the hardest to say.

"Wait!" Marinette called out, causing him to pause. In an instant, there she was, planting a tender kiss on his cheek, his black mask and the dark of night hiding his flaming red cheeks. "Thank you so much for a wonderful evening." And then he slipped off the banister with a happy grin. She giggled and leaned over her rail, looking down. "Are you okay?" But she only giggled more when all she got in response were unintelligible cat noises. Yeah, he was _just peachy_.

* * *

Adrien sighed happily as he stepped out of his town car, holding a hand to his cheek as he made his way up the steps to the bridge. Marinette kissed him! She actually kissed him! Granted, it was on the cheek, but a kiss was a kiss! All morning, he didn't hear a word Nathalie said while he ate his breakfast, lost in his dreamlike state while thinking purely of Marinette. He was in such a good mood that he gave Plagg all the Camembert he asked for. Plus, being Chat Noir required his service, so he might as well treat him extra well.

"Ah, I know that look!" André exclaimed as the blonde approached the ice cream cart. "That is the look of a man in love! Let me make you a special treat then, to your pursuit of true love!" He got to work, scooping different ice creams that fit Adrien's crush to a tee. "Let's see. Pink for her rosy cheeks, blueberry for the hair, and light blue for her lovely eyes." Adrien took the ice cream and happily ate it, every flavor feeling like they would fit Marinette perfectly.

He walked back to his town car, still taking bites of his ice cream and sighing happily. He was getting closer in his dream to have Marinette by his side. Maybe one day, they would share an ice cream and have their picture up on André's cart. Little did he know that his soul mate was on the other side of the bridge, nibbling away at her ice cream cone made of dark chocolate and mint.

* * *

 **Sooo, what did you think~? This isn't exactly how I wanted Glaciator to go, per se. But I worked it around with my Reverse Crush AU in mind. I just wanted Chat Noir to be comforted by Marinette being there and enjoying the set-up he made. At least, he could've talked to her more and felt less sad. BUT NO! You gotta put in the angst!**

 **Anyway, since those chapters are out of the way, I'll be working on newer ones, implementing theories about future Adrienette progress I see happening. We were promised a ball scene (Chloe's party doesn't count as a ball), the introduction of Luka, and the big reveal! Hopefully, they mean the reveal between Adrien and Marinette and not some other reveal, because we all see how Miraculous Ladybug likes to toy with our expectations and emotions.**

 **IMPORTANT NOTE: I have school tomorrow. I won't be enjoying a 4-hour-long class every Monday. I'll try to stay on this story as much as possible. But chapters won't be coming as frequently as they have been since when I started this series.**

 **REVIEWS ARE WELCOME! Who knows? With enough reviews, I may introduce a character we've all been dying to meet~ *wink wink***

 **And don't forget about the poll. It helps me see everyone's opinions on the subject better. THANK YOU!**


	11. The Weirdest Way To Get A Date

**Holy hand grenades! FINALLY! The newest episode of Miraculous Ladybug finally dropped! And I'm so happy it had so much Adrienette interaction! It was too cute, so of course I had to write a chapter about it! And I'm on spring break, which means I can put all my energy into this until I have to go back! So enjoy!**

* * *

Adrien leaned his back against his bedroom door and slumped down with a sigh. His father just wouldn't listen. He so desperately wanted to go, just this once. Was that so hard? The movie was only showing once before it would be lost to time. Of course, his father had a copy, but he doubted he'd be allowed to borrow it. He just wanted to see his mom's smiling face again, not just in a picture, but in motion. Sometimes, he wished it wasn't his only option to do anything, but the damage was done at this point. He had successfully made it out of the mansion without anyone looking up and seeing Chat Noir leaping away from the mansion. However, what Adrien fans basically hunting him down as he ran through the streets of Paris.

Adrien quickly looked behind him as he turned a corner, nut slammed into a body he hadn't noticed was running in the same general direction as him. _I'm so dead_ , the blonde mentally cried out in despair. _Now I'll never see the movie!_ But when he turned with a wince to face the person he bumped into, his horrified expression turned to shock as his green eyes landed on the last person he expected to see. "Marinette?!"

"Adrien?" she asked at the exact same time. She mentally shook herself out of her own shock to address him properly. "What's up?"

"O-Oh! You know…" Adrien said a little louder than necessary, scratching the back of his neck out of nervous habit. He'd sound conceited if he said he was being chased by a bunch of fans. And that wasn't a word he wanted Marinette associating with him. "J-Just a w-walking around…t-taking in the view… Sooo, come her often? Wait! I mean, of course you do! You live around here! Haha…" _Wait a second! That's it!_ His sweet Marinette was the answer to his prayers! "Speaking of," he continued, too desperate at this point to stutter in front of his lady love, "can I stay at your place for a little bit?" But just as those words escaped his mouth, his face flushed into a deep red as he scrambled to erase the not-so-innocent thoughts from his brain. "Wait! I-I mean, uh, what I meant to say…well, I need to hide out somewhere, and you being so sweet made me think of your bakery and I thought, um…" _Dear god, put me out of my misery now._

But Marinette didn't seem to catch on to his flustered freak-out as she regarded him with concern. "Hide out? Is there something wrong?"

Before he could answer, a high-pitched squeal resounded behind him. "Adrien~!" someone cried out.

"We need to go!" the blonde said in a panic. When he turned to the blunette, he could practically envision the gears in her head turning, immediately thinking of a plan. _She's so quick-witted_ , he swooned, careful not to let it show on his face.

He immediately followed her toward the park, hiding out in the empty fountain. It was surprising it wasn't on since it was a hot summer day and plenty of children would've loved to play in the water. Now that he thought about it, that was probably the reason. Adrien was so lost in his musings that he didn't register Marinette's voice calling his name until he felt her nudge his shoulder.

"–drien? Adrien? …Adrien?" Marinette kept repeating his name and to him, it was the sweetest melody he could listen to for the rest of his life. "What's going on anyway?"

"Oh, r-right!" Great, now he had to answer and pray to whatever higher power that was watching that Marinette wouldn't think he was bragging. "Well, um, there's this…perfume ad…"

"Oh yeah!" the pigtailed girl interjected with a smile. "I saw that ad! You did an awesome job in it!"

Her sunny smile paired with the compliment was enough to give him a heart attack right then and there. But he swallowed down the urge so he could keep this moment going as long as possible. "Haha! I don't know if I'd say awesome! It's actually kind of…" The words instantly died on his tongue when he really focused on Marinette. Were those…pajamas she was wearing…? "…embarrassing…" Oh no. _Did I just say that out loud?!_

His crush's face flushed as she crossed her arms over her chest with an embarrassed laugh. It took every ounce of sanity not to blush at how cute she was. "Oh, this! Hehe! It's actually a funny story…"

The sound of a camera flash interrupted their conversation and the two teens glanced around to see a man tweeting the picture he just took of them. "It's Adrien and his girlfriend in the fountain!" he exclaimed with more joy than necessary.

"We need to go!" Marinette hurriedly said and grabbed Adrien's hand, making a break for somewhere to hide from the crowd.

Adrien, on the other hand, was less focused on the horde of fans and more focused on Marinette's delicate hand that fit perfectly in his. He could feel the slight callouses that came with hours of sewing and stitching. But her palms were naturally smooth. He didn't think she regularly moisturized her hands like he was told to do as part of the model gig. The blonde subconsciously gripped Marinette's hand a little tighter, unwilling to let her go.

* * *

The two panted heavily, hunched over as the tried to catch their breath when they stopped running. The subway tunnels felt pretty safe, away from the prying eyes that were above ground. Adrien would be lying if he said he wasn't a little upset he had to let go of his crush's gentle hand; the same hand that always offered to pull him up when he was down. But first things first…

"I'm so sorry Marinette," the young model apologized after finally steadying his heartbeat from both running and being so close to the love of his life. "I'm sorry I got you dragged into this…"

"I'm sorry too," Marinette said, leaving Adrien confused. "Now everyone thinks I'm your girlfriend."

The model was left in a dumbfounded state at those words. "Oh," he dumbly replied. Seconds passed as the words slowly began to sink in. "O-Oh! Yeah, that's unfortunate. No, wait! I don't mean— I mean, it's not the worst thing in the world! That's a thing that could happen, right? Certainly better than anything I can think of! Haha…" _Dude, you are blowing this_ , his conscience practically screamed at him as Adrien himself tried to make sense of his word vomit. This was worse than when Marinette wanted to try out for fencing and Adrien ended up stumbling like an idiot in front of her while trying to impress her.

"This doesn't seem to be your day, huh?" his companion in this mess jokingly commented.

"I-I'm not worried," the blonde retorted, pulling his charm bracelet out from his back pocket and giving a wink, "I've got the luck of someone special on my side, thanks to _my Marinette_ lucky charm."

Okay, he may have been trying to channel his inner Chat and failing when he tried to emphasize those two little words, hoping the object of his affection would see the meaning. She smiled gently at him, causing his heart to flutter. But the fact of his burning red cheeks was put aside once people across the way recognized Adrien and started tweeting where he was. _Not again!_

"We should go!" Marinette exclaimed, grabbing his hand.

Adrien's heart hammered in his chest as their hands once again connected in a firm grip. He stumbled after her as she tried to exit the subway. Unfortunately, more fans were pouring in from one end. But when he tried to guide Marinette to the other side, his bodyguard was blocking the exit. He was all out of ideas. Luckily, Marinette wasn't. She ran toward the train the just pulled in and took a dive, landing with him lying flat on his back beneath her. The doors closed just in time and the train took off, the fans and his bodyguard far behind them. The adrenaline of his exaggerated near-trampled experience slowly wore down, only to be replaced by a different kind of adrenaline.

 _She's on top of you~_ , Adrien's devilish conscience chuckled. _You weren't kidding about being lucky. Who knows? Maybe you'll_ get _lu—_ Adrien mentally swatted those thoughts away before they could go any further.

His crush dismounted herself from her position and looked at him with worry. "Are you okay?" the young designer asked.

The model's brain quickly came down to earth in hopes he wouldn't further embarrass himself. "Y-yeah, I'm okay…" _No, I'm not, with you on top of me like that. But no way am I telling you._

"Good." She gave him that dazzling smile that left him breathless every time.

* * *

With the help of a motorcycle helmet, a towel, and a pair of sunglasses, the pair managed to enter the movie theater without being recognized. Adrien was surprised there were just a few awkward glances in their direction rather than a hundred. At least he made to where he wanted to go. Having Marinette with him was a bonus he couldn't pass up.

"It was a great idea to sneak into the theater to hide," Marinette suddenly said, her gorgeous bluebell eyes focused on him. Then she giggled a little. "Although, if you were going for subtle, that leaves a little to be desired."

Adrien couldn't help but chuckle and smile back. "Actually, this is where I wanted to go."

"Wait," the pigtailed girl said in disbelief, "you had to sneak out to see a movie? Are you not allowed to come here?"

"Oh, sure I am," he answered with ease, his brain still not catching up with the situation, "when I'm with my bodyguard. But this particular movie is something I don't think I would've been allowed to come to."

Marinette suddenly squeaked with fright and curled up adorably in fetal position on the seat. "I hope it's not a horror movie… I can't handle horror movies…"

Adrien smiled and gently laid his hand over Marinette's. "No, it's nothing like that. My mom actually played the lead in this movie."

Those beautiful eyes that were filled with worry not even 5 seconds ago sparkled with wonder. "Really? Your mom was an actress?"

"Yup! I was always so proud of her."

The lights dimmed as the movie was getting ready to be should. It was at that particular moment, in the darkness of the theater, that the fact of what just transpired clicked in the sunshine child's brain. He was in a dark theater with the girl he's been crushing on for months. He just had a fluid conversation with her without stumbling over his words. He had his hand on her and she wasn't pulling away. Adrien glanced down at their hands, suddenly worrying that his might be getting sweaty from the nerves that began to overtake him. But when the movie began rolling, and his mother's figure faded in, all those nerves miraculously vanished. Adrien's peridot eyes glittered as he watched, taking off his helmet to get a full view of the moment he so desperately wanted to see. Big mistake.

When the flash of a camera went off, Adrien's mood immediately took a nosedive. Was no place sacred anymore?! People would go so far as to liven up a quiet theater just to invade his space? Fans started crowding into the theater, demanding pictures and autographs. They blocked his view of the movie, which in itself deeply saddened him. But nothing could've been worse than when a giant arm broke through the roof and made a grab for him.

"Adrien!" Marinette shouted, reaching for but missing his hand.

"Marinette! Get out of here!" Adrien called back, more concerned for the blunette's safety than his own.

"I-I'll go get help!" she shouted and ran away from the scene. But he never missed her worried expression as she left, leaving him to the mercy of his akumatized bodyguard.

* * *

Ladybug came for him, just as he trusted her to. She was his partner, after all. He wouldn't expect any less from the one person he so blindly trusted to have his back. Adrien may not have had a huge crush on her like she did with Chat Noir, but she was still a dear friend. The red-clad hero even caught him before he hit the ground, as Adrien no less. He couldn't transform in front of everyone, even if to save his own life. His gut was telling him to trust Ladybug and Hawkmoth could probably see through the akuma's eyes. If his identity was compromised, it was game over.

He even managed to throw his akumatized bodyguard off by having his stalker that got him into this mess pose as him while he jumped into action as Chat Noir. It even tricked Ladybug, to which he was grateful. Once the cat hero detransformed and went on his way home, he considered texting Marinette to make sure she was okay. Oh wait, she still doesn't have my number, his inner voice argued. But then Adrien shook that away. YOLO, right? She's more important than your nerves.

 **Adrien: Hey, this is Adrien. Are you okay from the attack?**

He waited for what seemed like hours. Did he say the wrong thing? Was she actually hurt? Was she doing something important? His phone pinged, bringing him out of his thoughts.

 **Marinette: Oh, hey Adrien! Yeah, I'm okay. I should be asking you that. I saw what happened… I was scared…**

Seeing that made him smile. His courage seemed to be in tact as he kept going.

 **Adrien: I'm fine. Thanks to Ladybug. At least no one will be hosing Adrien goop off the sidewalk anytime soon.**

 **Marinette: lol! You must be okay if you can make jokes.**

 **Marinette: Hey, I gotta go but I'll see you at school!**

 **Adrien: Yeah. See you at school.**

The blonde was grinning from ear to ear as he got home. He was still disappointed that he never got to see his mom's movie. But spending time with his dream girl made the day just a little better. Adrien then flopped onto his couch, his cheeks burning crimson as he remembered one little detail. People thought he and Marinette were a couple. They thought she was his girlfriend. Giving into the urge, the young Agreste pulled a pillow up to his face and screamed into it while kicking his legs back and forth. Plagg only stuck his tongue out in disgust before flying away to his cheese vault. Now, if only that whole girlfriend thing could be real. What he wouldn't give for a day like that. The redness slowly went away as he slumped down, needing a well-deserved nap if nothing else. But then his door opened as his father walked in. And it was the first real connection he shared with his father as the two watched the movie, his mother's face smiling at him from the screen.

* * *

 **Yeah, I just wanted to write this for the Adrienette scenes. Didn't feel as inspired at the end there. But I have some things to squeal about, so here we go. LUKA HAS OFFICIALLY BEEN REVEALED! And oh god, he's hot! I found out the ship name for him and Marinette is Lunette, which actually sounds kinda pretty. But I'm still an avid Adrienette shipper. Just prepare for the all-out Adrienette vs. Lunette fics I just** _ **know**_ **will be popping up after March 30! And prepare for my latest chapter to be posted that weekend, because NO WAY IN JEBEDIAH KERMAN am I missing the opportunity to write some Luka and jealous Adrien goodness! Until then, lovelies!**


	12. The Love Rival Conundrum

**Now comes the moment of truth; Captain Hardrock, my version! I admit, it'll be harder since Luka and Adrien didn't meet until the very end, but I can make it work. Plus, I'm not all that into the Luka vs. Adrien thing. I just find Luka too chill for that.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

After his little stunt a couple days prior, Adrien was officially grounded. His father would sit in on his piano practice to make sure he didn't sneak out like last time (and all the other times his father didn't know about). At least he'd be able to go to his friends' concert on Juleka's house boat. He was excited for it. He always wanted to play music with other people. Okay, fine, that was only one reason. The other reason was Marinette. She was helping set up for the concert and he definitely wanted to be there, maybe show off his musical talent if possible. Maybe she liked musical types. He had quite the skill with piano. None of his exercises were beginner level. The scenario had been all planned out in his head. Adrien would play her a love song, tell her it was about her, and they'd live out their happily ever after.

Just a couple hours left to go.

"You're not going to your friends' concert tonight." Or maybe not...

Adrien stomped his foot on the floor a few times in anger. At least her had his phone this time. Picking it up, the blonde scrolled through his contacts until he found Nino. His finger hovered over the call button, beside himself with having to give his best friend the bad news. Everyone would be sad. Seeing Marinette frown was the last thing he wanted. But he was going to be the cause of it. And that cut deeper than anything. Adrien hit the video call button on his phone and waited as it ringed. Finally, Nino picked up, his phone propped up while he was moving stuff around.

"Sup, my dude?" Nino greeted cheerily. But seeing the look on Adrien's face caused his brows to furrow with concern. "Hey, what's the matter?"

The blonde rubbed the back of his neck, exhaling a sigh. "Well…I—" Suddenly, something behind Nino caught Adrien's eye, and it wasn't something good. "Hey, who's that?" He pointed to the screen, curling his finger to the left to indicate he meant whatever was behind Nino.

The DJ turned around and laughed. "Oh, right! You haven't met Luka yet. Yeah, he's Juleka's older brother. He used to come by a lot in our elementary school days. He's a couple years older than Juleka, so he goes to a different school now. He also plays guitar in the band."

But that wasn't what got the blonde all riled up like a cat that had just been dumped in the bathtub. No, it was much worse. Because this Luka was standing dangerously close to the love of his life, his hand on her shoulder, as they _laughed_ together. Adrien continued to glare as he assessed the interloper. He was tall, but then again, so was he. He had hoped Marinette found his height difference to hers as adorable as he did. His black hair was dyed turquoise at the tips to perfectly match his eyes. He could even see the black gages in his ears from where Nino had placed the phone. He wore a jean jacket and black ripped jeans, almost typical bad boy attire. A natural-born heartbreaker like him had no right to be within 10 miles of Marinette.

"Whoa! What was that?!" Nino suddenly said, his surprise evident.

Adrien tilted his head, confused. "What are you talking about?"

"Dude, I swear I just heard a hiss around here and–! …Wait… Was that you?"

Adrien coughed, ruffling his hair slightly. "So, how's the prep for the music festival?" he asked, changing the subject. _Really gotta ask Plagg if cat tendencies are a thing I have to deal with in my daily life._

"Oh yeah," Nino replied, but his tone suggested that Adrien's words gave him all he needed to know. "I gotta go soon. Band practice is about to start. Something about testing the new speakers."

"Okay. Bye Nino. Sorry again." And with that, he ended the call.

The blonde pushed his hand off his desk, rolling the chair back a couple feet. He stared up at the ceiling, pouting. _Stupid grounded Adrien. Stupid concert I can't go to. Stupid Luka._ Just the name brought a fire to his blood. At first, Adrien actually would've thought Luka would be a good friend. But then, he saw the look in Luka's eyes. He was _definitely_ interested in Marinette.

 _I mean, how can anyone not be? She's like happiness personified. She's the kindest, most loyal, and most generous soul on the planet. She could end a thousand-year war with a single smile. Songs and poetry could be written about her. No one is more deserving of the word perfect when describing them._

 _Besides, Luka's got nothing on me. I'm a super hero! Sure he's older, but I'm just as tall. So her plays guitar? I play piano; the more romantic instrument._

As Adrien was lost in fantasy land, Plagg facepalmed and returned to his cheese. As much as he hated to admit it, he'd much rather be outside and at the concert than crammed in his Chosen's bedroom, especially while he was daydreaming about the girl that he had no clue had a crush on him in return. Of course, he couldn't say anything, lest he have a red and black ball of rage hunting him down. The kwami's ears flattened when he heard the kid sigh and watched him return the piano, playing a sad melody.

The model felt his kwami sit on his shoulder and gently reached up to pet his head with his finger. However, the moment was interrupted when Nadja Chamack's voice came through his computer. "Paris is yet again under attack. A new villain is destroying all the music festival concerts, one by one. Please take shelter as soon as possible."

When the blonde gave Plagg a determined look, a tiny black paw was held up to stop him. "Don't bother. I know this song and dance by heart."

"Plagg, claws out!"

* * *

A lot of things surprised Adrien when he got back home. But they were all good surprises. He was surprised when he was able to sneak back into his room without facing his father. He was surprised when his father agreed to play a duet with him. But the biggest surprise came when his father let him go to his friends' concert. Looking at the sun, he had more than enough time to get to the houseboat. And even try, and fail, to get even three coherent words out to Marinette. At this point, he didn't care if he ended up acting like a hungry monkey if it meant seeing her, and even hanging out with his friends.

When Adrien made it to the boat, his green eyes immediately landed on Marinette. With a shy smile on his face, he attempted to wave at her; keyword attempted. Because as soon as he tried, he was suddenly kissing the wooden desk after tripping on…whatever he tripped on.

"Are you okay, Adrien?" Marinette's voice filtered in, filled with concern.

Scratching the back of his neck, the model nodded. "Y-yeah. Just p-peachy. I just hope I didn't ruin anything." He turned to see what tripped him up. It was a black case, and Adrien could instantly tell what it held. When he opened it, he awed at the glorious keyboard. It was one of the never models, but something he knew well.

"Whoa, this is amazing! I haven't played one of these in a while!"

"So you can play it?" a voice Adrien never heard before questioned. _Oh no_. There was only one person, who was male, on this boat he never heard the voice of before. With Marinette and all his friends watching, he did his best to be a good kitty.

Not standing from his position, the blonde turned to Luka and nodded. "Yeah, I do."

"Great!" the blue-haired boy exclaimed, holding out his hand. Despite everything in his instincts to bite it off, Adrien politely grabbed it and helped himself up. "Welcome to the band, Adrien."

"Thanks," the blonde responded. "Luka, right?"

"Yup!"

"Well, let's all get back to it!" Anarka Couffaine exclaimed in her exuberant voice, leading everyone to disperse to their stations.

But Adrien was unable to, still feeling Luka's hand gripping his. He looked at the guitarist in confusion, but he offered a kind smile in return. But Adrien gasped as he was pulled in, an arm around his shoulder.

"Look," Luka said, "I'm pretty good at reading people."

"Okay…?" Adrien said.

"My point is, I like Marinette." Okay, that got the blonde to stiffen, ready to get defensive if need be. "She's a really amazing girl. But…I can hear what's in _your_ heart. And I think what you have for her is way stronger than whatever I may feel. I really do hope you tell her how you feel."

Adrien gaped at who he though was his love rival, then gave him a relaxed grin. "Thanks, Luka. It kinda feels good to hear that."

"No problem."

That night was one of the greatest of Adrien's life. He honestly didn't expect a band called "Kitty Section," lead by the little sweetheart Rose Lavillant, to be a metal band. Nevertheless, he laughed to himself as he played on the piano. He definitely felt calmer and more confident when he was playing, even brave enough to send a wink Marinette's way as she clapped for them. She giggled and continued nodding her head to the loud music, cheering on her friends.

* * *

 **Sorry if this felt a little rushed. I really wanted to finish this, and the Frightningale take, before the Troublemaker episode airs soon. Holy crabola, I have been WAITING FOR THIS MOMENT! I've been more enthusiastic about this than Captain Hardrock, which introduced to us a few new ships to bask in! Say what you want about Luka, but there's no denying he is really hot. BUT MY MAIN SHIP REMAINS AS MARICHAT! AND I CAN'T WAIT! Wait till you see what I have in store for that episode! Until then, kittens!**


	13. Secrets Under The Spotlight

**Frightningale was a good episode! I honestly thought the special guest akumas were a concept-only sort of thing. You know, they put the idea down on paper as a little gift to the people the characters were inspired by, they'd be put in an art book, and that's it. But I was happy to learn they get their own episodes!**

 **So enjoy watching about 30+ paragraphs of Adrien trying desperately to get with Marinette while concealing his biggest secret.**

* * *

"This is a disaster!" Adrien cried out as he looked himself in the mirror. Don't get him wrong. Clara Nightingale was a great artist and he enjoyed her music from time to time. Being in one of her music videos was a high honor. But this was far from okay.

"It's actually really well done," Plagg chipped in, offering no consolation whatsoever. He flew around his Chosen a couple times, nodding. "I mean, look at this craftmanship. They really got the fabric and seams down, I tell you. Although, I could do without the bell. I always thought that looked kinda stupid."

"No, Plagg!" the blonde argued in frustration. "If I put on this mask, they'll all figure out I'm the _real_ Chat Noir!"

"Psh! No way! People are blind!" How his kwami could say that with such confidence, Adrien would never be sure.

"Whatever," he finalized, slipping the black mask under some towels. "The fact remains that I can't wear it. Now all I need to do is act as lame as possible. Then they'll have no choice but to replace me."

"You wanna be lame?" Plagg teased, snickering. "Then think of your _Princess_ ~ Can't get lamer than that."

Adrien glared at his kwami, even though his face was beet red. Okay, he would never agree with Plagg vocally, but it was shamefully true. He was an absolute mess around Marinette, at school or just in general. He was definitely more confident as Chat Noir, but it was the magical mask that made him feel just a little more secure, not some cheap cloth one that could be removed at any time. As Chat Noir, he could be suave, funny, romantic, and much more confident. But as Adrien…he could be such a dork. He would stumble over his own two feet whenever Marinette just glanced in his general direction. It made people sort of question how he was a model. He would babble and blush, but others chalked that up to lack of socialization. Maybe Plagg was onto something. If he acted as opposite to Chat Noir as possible, kept his hair neat and groomed, and _under no circumstances_ put on that mask, he might just make it out of this with secret identity intact.

When the model stepped out of the trailer, he gaped at everything. He expected a large amount of people to show up since Clara was a famous celebrity, but the number of people in the lines was almost unbelievable! He scanned the area, from the huge stage to the multitude of lights. Clara wasn't the type to mess around. Suddenly, a flash of a blue pigtail caught his eye. His green eyes frantically searched the crowds. He saw a few wigs, but then he spotted it. Well, _her_. Marinette stood in line among her friends, her bluebell eyes glittering as she admired Clara Nightingale from afar. So she was a big fan, huh? Suddenly, her eyes drifted to where he was making his way to the stage and he froze. The blunette smiled softly and waved. He stiffly waved back, returning her sweet smile with a nervous one.

"Wow," he heard Marinette say, "Adrien makes a convincing Chat Noir."

The blonde swallowed the lump in his throat. Unfortunately, in his flustered state, he didn't notice his belt tail had curled around his ankle. With the next step, he stepped on the end of it, which tugged his whole body to the floor with a thud. "I'm okay!" he shouted. He hurriedly stood up and dusted himself off.

Everyone laughed at his silly misfortune. But Marinette, being the sweet angel she was, gave him a sympathetic smile and mouthed, "Are you okay?" to him. He shyly nodded to her then power-walked over to Clara.

"Quite dashing I must say," the popstar praised, "like this was the role you were _born_ to play!"

"I must agree," his father spoke. Well, it wasn't his father in person. It wasn't snowing in the Sahara just yet. Adrien nervously stood there as his father assessed him through the tablet. "But where's the mask?"

"O-Oh! Um…" _Think fast, doofus!_ "Well, I, uh, couldn't find it anywhere!"

"I'll get on that!" a stage hand announced and rushed to the trailers. _Please miraculously find it under 5 feet of concrete and render it unusable.  
_  
"That's okay!" Clara cheerily butted in. "A mask isn't required for rehearsals anyway! But now we need to start! There's still auditions for Ladybug's part!"

That's right! Chat Noir needed a Ladybug. They were a team, after all. Adrien unconsciously glanced at Marinette, and that's all it took for his lovesick mind to take over. He imagined Marinette in that red and black-spotted jumpsuit, smiling up at him and holding out her hand. He took it in his own, still in his Chat Noir costume, and laid a kiss on her hand. She blushed and he pulled her close, leaning in.

"–drien. Adrien!" Clara's voice broke his fantasy bubble. "Are you okay? You seem a little out of sorts. And you were staring really far away."

"I'm fine!" the model responded with a smile. However, if he was in his real Chat Noir suit, everyone would've witnessed his belt tail curl devilishly as the gears in his head turned. It was obvious Marinette wasn't in the line for Ladybug auditions. But what if the ones in the line were all just…terrible? What if there was no other option left? Well, guess they'd just have to find someone in the extras line to play the role. And Adrien would conveniently know just the girl with the kindness, bravery, and talent to pull off the Ladybug role flawlessly. Then, he and Marinette dance together, he pulls out a line about being soulmates, and it's happily ever after from there.

For the most part, that plan turned out to be a greater possibility with each failing audition. A good portion of them were just undeniably awful. They either didn't fit the hero aesthetic or were too young or old. Those that had a shot were met with a few…let's call them "incidents." Yo-yo strings would spontaneously snap. Girls would trip on air. He even convinced a few that they were so bad they made him fall on his butt. A couple hours passed and the audition line was completely barren.

"I can't wrap my head around it," the idol stated with confusion, "There has to be someone who will be a good fit."

Perfect! Now was his chance! "Actually," the blonde piped up, grabbing Clara's attention, "I think I saw someone who'd make a good Ladybug." He discreetly pointed to Marinette, who was chatting with Rose and Juleka. "That's my friend. Her name's Marinette. And she's brave, talented, kind, creative, pure, pretty…" Oops. Did he go too far?

Clara giggled and laid her hand on his shoulder. "I can tell this girl has a special place in your heart. Is that why you wanted no one else to have Ladybug's part?"

"Was I that obvious?" Adrien sheepishly asked, to which the singer nodded with a grin. "S-sorry about that. I just…"

"I understand that you're smitten," Clara said with a wink. "I can see why you like her, little kitten." Suddenly, Clara picked up a tray of snacks. "If giving her the role is really your quest, I say we put her to a little test."

She walked off the stage and to the extras line. Adrien watched in mild respect as Clara intentionally tripped herself, the tray flying through the air as she hit the ground. Marinette immediately rushed to her aid, helping her up.

"Let me give you a hug," the popstar announced, holding Marinette, "because you are Ladybug!"

"W-w-what?!" Marinette stuttered in shock.

"You did as Ladybug would, all the same! Your heart is truly pure. So what's your name?"

"M-Marinette." _Her stutter is still adorable…_

"Well, Marinette, I have a proposition for you to know. I would love for you to play Ladybug in my show!"

"M-Me? I…um…" Adrien watched as Marinette looked to her friends, at him, then back to Clara. At that point, knowing Marinette's caring nature, he already knew what she was going to say, and felt his fake ears droop slightly. "I'm sorry. I came here to be an extra with my friends. I'd like to stay with them if that's okay."

Clara looked to Adrien, and he gave her an understanding nod. "That's a pity; a real shame. But that is sweet thing to do. A noble gesture indeed. So Ladybug of you."

The singer then helped Marinette over to the trailers and instructed her to stay there with her friends. To be honest, Adrien was disappointed his plan wasn't perfect at the end. But he'd still be close to Marinette. And her friends looked so happy, with their happy mood making Marinette smile in return. So that counted for something, right? Just as he was about to go over and fail miserably in an attempt to congratulate her, the doors burst open. When Adrien took in the sight, he couldn't help but groan. Chloe was decked out in her full Ladybug costume, wig and all. _Is this karma? Because I'd rather be kicked into the trash can again like back with Rogercop._

Chloe haughtily made her way up to the stage like she already got the part. "Your Ladybug has arrived!" she declared. "So let's get the camera rolling!"

"Chloe," the model scolded, "You need to at least audition." _And by that, I mean, please fail for the sake of my sanity._

"Oh yeah. I've got that covered." And off she flew. Adrien had to admit how impressed he was by her gymnastics skills. But gradually the prospects of her not getting the part were looking slimmer and slimmer. "Well, that settles that!" Chloe gloated as she looped her arms around Adrien's neck, to which he cringed. "We'll make the best Ladybug and Chat Noir in all of Paris, won't we Adrichat? Haha! Get it?"

"Yeah…" Adrien mumbled, turning stiff. _Please save me! Anybody!_

"Hold on!" Marinette's voice rang out. The blondes turned to see Marinette stomping on stage and Adrien couldn't help but sing his praises. "I changed my mind! I will play Ladybug!" the blunette declared, causing Adrien to instantly perk up.

Clara was even rejoicing at the news. However, Chloe didn't take being downgraded to an extra so well. The uppity blonde stormed out while screaming obscenities about deserving the role and whatnot. But her rantings were drowned out by Adrien's inner thoughts as Marinette was escorted to the dressing room to change.

 _Okay, no pressure here. You'll just be dancing side-by side with the love of your life. Close together. Very little distance. Sure it's for a camera, but you've danced with her before. You just didn't have to try and keep your secret identity secret that time. This time around, you_ will _ask her out afterwards! You_ will _!_

When Marinette came out of the dressing room in that red jumpsuit, his heart nearly stopped. It complimented her figure perfectly, accentuating all her best features. Her pigtails had red ribbons in them, her naturally inky blue hair making the costume that much more convincing. Adrien choked up as she stepped onto the stage and stood in front of him, smiling. It was just a little odd when Marinette panicked about being called Ladybug. Could it be she…? Nah! Marinette was way cooler! The two were leagues apart!

Clara instructed them how to dance at specific sections in the music. They swayed and jumped, moving their bodies to the beat. Their arms and legs glided to the rhythm. But Clara looked at them as if something was off.

"Your moves need to sync up as best as you can," the singer stated, "So you'll need to hold each other's hand." Adrien blushed and turned to Marinette, who was holding out her hand. He took her hand in his like they were shaking hands, remembering the part in his plan where he kissed it. But he chickened out and just gripped her delicate hand. Even with the jumpsuits, he could still feel the warmth of her palm in his. But Clara and everyone watching laughed at the display. "No, not like that." She twirled her way over and rearranged their hands. "No need to be shy. Hold hands like lovers. Give it a try!"

Adrien gasped as their hands were positioned more intimately, especially after being called lovers. Did it suddenly get hot under the suit? He could feel the blush creeping up his neck, looking away shyly as he saw Alya take pictures. But that fact was overruled by the bigger fact that he was holding Marinette's hand! For a moment, it almost looked like he was holding Ladybug's hand. But the blonde quickly shook off those thoughts. It felt like he would be betraying his feelings for Marinette, imagining another girl's hand.

When he returned to earth, he heard Clara tell them to put on their masks. Uh-oh. "Well, I mean I looked everywhere," he tried to argue, his words overlaying Marinette's, "It wasn't in the dressing room. It was just…nowhere to be found." Luckily, that horrific display caused an uproar of laughter from the spectators. Good. No one suspected anything. It even helped throw them off his scent.

"It's okay! I found them!" Those three words caused the whole room to go frigid as he reluctantly grabbed the mask, his hand almost shaking in fear. He lifted it as slowly as possible, saying his goodbyes to his secret identity and possibly all the freedom he worked so hard for this past year. He even said his goodbyes to Marinette. Without the freedom to go outside, he'd never be able to ask her out on dates to the movies, to dances, or even on a romantic walk along the Seine. Her light would be completely snuffed out from his life. Just as all hope was lost, the doors abruptly opened with a smug Chloe and the mayor arguing that Clara wasn't allowed to film at any of the venues in Paris. As much as he was relieved to keep his secret, he was still mad at Chloe for making Clara burst into tears and run off.

"Chloe!" the model scolded, "That was totally uncalled for."

"Yes it was," Chloe tried to reason, folding her hands together and batting her eyelashes at him. "I was much better suited for the role. A famous model and the mayor's daughter playing the heroes of Paris would've made so many headlines. And you know, we _are_ still in costume. I could still be your Ladybug~"

She leaned in, but Adrien pushed her away at arm's length. And his frustration with her was obvious. "I'm not in the mood to deal with this," he declared, going to the trailers to change.

He had seen Marinette go ahead of him and wanted to give her some form of apology since Chloe obviously wouldn't. She had been getting better. But her attitude towards Marinette still needed work. However, that apology would have to wait. An akumatized Clara took to the stage, announcing herself as "Frightningale." It was time for the _real_ Chat Noir to do his routine.

* * *

The whole class gathered in the school library to watch Clara's new music video. Ladybug herself had suggested they film in all of Paris's public venues, which provided free access to everyone and even the mayor couldn't shut it down. When the video ended, everyone clapped.

"This version is way better," Marinette declared with a smile. "I got to be with all my friends." The girls all cooed and huddled in to hug their sweet Marinette. "Besides, there's no way I could've pulled off playing Ladybug."

"Oh, totally," Adrien readily agreed. "You two are galaxies apart."

The blunette looked at him, her eyebrow raised in confusion. "Huh?"

The blonde blanched and almost immediately backpedaled, shuffling his way over to Marinette. "I don't mean it like that. What I meant is you can pull off lame better than she can. Wait! I don't mean—you're not lame at all! It's just…you two don't look alike…?"

Marinette giggled, covering her mouth with her hand. "I understand. You nothing like Chat Noir either."

"What?" Well, it was kinda true. Chat Noir was all the sides he wasn't allowed to show as Adrien.

"Oh! I meant…he's probably not as sweet as you are."

The two shared a laugh. But Adrien couldn't help the way his heart fluttered. She thought he was sweet! _She thinks I'm sweet_! He could do sweet. He could definitely do sweet! He could be sweeter than every pastry in her family's bakery! … _Maybe I'm the lame one_ …

* * *

 **Phew! This is officially my longer chapter in this series! I just really enjoyed this episode and wanted to do it justice. Anyway, Troublemaker comes out in a few days~ I'll be covering that so fast! It's the episode I've been anticipating the most! So you can tell I'm REALLY excited!**

 **Until then, all you tomcats and kittens~**


	14. No Trouble Here

**AAARGH! Well, let's talk about Troublemaker for a minute. It was…underwhelming… That's right, I said it. It could've been better. All that hype for this?! Does Adrien know she's Ladybug or not?! And if not, he STILL doesn't recognize she has feelings for him!**

 **And now I must write! Because I want more than this! And that Locker Scene has turned my heart into mush!**

* * *

Adrien's legs bounced as he channel-surfed, searching for the right channel. Today, Marinette announced that Jagged Stone would be on an episode of "Fill My Shoes". The best part was that it was going to be shot in her bakery. So he got to see his crush on the big screen, becoming a star with her music icon. Suddenly, a thought struck him and he bit his thumb in contemplation. If she became famous, that meant a lot more attention. And a lot more attention meant more admirers. Which, in turn, meant more competition to scare off. He'd have to stick to Marinette like glue, hissing at any potential interloper. Then again, that would come off as creepy and Marinette would probably avoid him forever. That would shatter him!

His thoughts halted when the show began. For now, he could be happy for his love. She worked with Jagged Stone before. Maybe he was just overthinking this once. She was on that magazine with Jagged when she first designed his new album. The hype didn't gain her any new love interests, and her presence, while still stunning, didn't skyrocket beyond school. So he could try to keep calm and watch her enjoy herself. The model laughed whenever Jagged went crazy with the bread and the ingredients. He completely drowned out Plagg insisting cheese be added to the baked goods.

When Jagged accidentally poured flour over himself, it cut to commercial. Adrien slouched in his couch, a dopey grin on his face. It was nice to see Marinette enjoy herself and laugh so heartily. He could tell she was really having fun with Jagged Stones. Her parents might have a different opinion though.

"Bleh," Plagg cut in, faking a barf. "You're not even in front of her and you're already a gooey mess! Even the runniest cheese can't outdo you right now!"

"I can't help it, Plagg," the blonde responded with a lovesick sigh, "She's just so perfect—"

"And smart, and beautiful, and brave," the kwami finished, "Blah, blah, blah. I've heard this line a thousand times!"

Before Adrien could retort, the show was back on. But what he witnessed on screen made his jaw drop in shock. He could see Jagged Stone's lips moving, but the only words that registered in his brain were "little crush." Adrien hit the pause button on the remote, just to confirm this wasn't some trick of the light or a crazy hallucination. The model recognized the light pink walls, the computer, and even the cute little trinkets that rested on the desks; all things that confirmed it was indeed Marinette's room. But what was _on_ those walls rendered him speechless.

Pasted to the walls were dozens of photos; photos of _him_! Well, they weren't of Adrien Agreste. They were of his alter ego, Chat Noir; newspaper clippings, screenshots, photos, and doodles galore! She even had some of his unofficial merchandise! Marinette, the same sweet and brave Marinette Dupain-Cheng, had a crush on Chat Noir! The gears in his blonde head turned as facts started connecting. Marinette had a crush on Chat Noir. Chat Noir was also Adrien Agreste. So by that logic, Marinette had a crush on Adrien Agreste! His princess liked him back! It was no secret that he felt freer as Chat Noir. She liked him for all his faults and flaws, which often showed when he donned the black mask. He also wasn't worried like one might assume he would be. Certainly, she wasn't the type of girl who liked a person for their fame. If that were the case, she would've fallen for him as Adrien when they first met.

Plagg snickered as he flew over and floated next to Adrien's head. "Oh, la, la~ Looks like you have a secret admirer."

"Marinette likes me…" Adrien whispered, the puzzle pieces in his head slowly coming together to form a full picture.

"No," the cheese-loving kwami sarcastically retorted, "A girl just keeps photos of one person up on her walls for the fun of it."

"She likes me!" the blonde exclaimed, shooting up from his seat. He grabbed Plagg in his clasped hands and spun around the room with a joyous laugh. "She likes me! She likes me!"

"Stop! Stop! I'm gonna hurl!"

This was the happiest day of his life! She liked him! Granted, she was in love with Chat Noir, but he couldn't help but feel excited

But when he resumed watching, his peridot eyes sparkling at his discovery, he witnessed Marinette burst into her room in a panic while begging everyone to leave. She was filled with anxiety and embarrassment; two qualities perfect for akumatization. Adrien paled at the thought of having to fight his Princess. He needed to get there before anything could happen to her!

"Plagg, we need to go!" Adrien exclaimed, looking at his kwami who was still in his grip.

But Plagg could only see the world spinning as his swayed, feeling nauseated. "Mind if I take a minute to not throw up?"

"Come on, this is no time for joking around. Claws out!"

* * *

Chat eyed Ladybug when they had finished the job. Penny was returned to normal and Jagged was more than happy to have her back safe. But there was just this little nagging voice in the back of his head. While his partner was in the middle of detransforming, he could swear he saw a different face when he examined her profile. But it happened so fast that he couldn't take the time to process it. For a second though, Ladybug looked like…Marinette. Could it be possible? They were admittedly alike in some ways… Nah! That wasn't possible. Marinette was totally more legit!

"I already know who you are, Ladybug," he teasingly commented when she asked if he saw anything.

"You do?" she asked with a hopeful edge in her voice, although he could've been mistaken.

"Of course." Then he turned to her and playfully winked. "You're the best partner a cat could ask for."

That got a laugh out of her. They said their goodbyes afterword, going their separate ways. He propelled himself back home, excited. He wanted to pay a visit to a certain princess, but he'd have to do it at night. After detransforming, Adrien rushed to take a shower, even going so far as to put on cologne. He wanted to look his very best for her. He didn't care if Plagg called him a dork. Because he was a dork in love with an incredible girl who loved the most important parts of him. When all was dark and not a peep resounded throughout the house, Adrien transformed and jumped all the way to Marinette's house. When he got there, the blunette was already on her balcony. Well, she was just making this all the more perfect.

Chat landed behind her, causing her to jump slightly in shock. But she insistently relaxed when her bluebell eyes found his green ones. But then she just stiffened back up, her cheeks flushed red. The designer backed up, her spine hitting the railing.

"Ch-Chat Noir!" she exclaimed, flustered.

"Hello, _Purrincess_ ," he greeted, a smirk resting on his face. "I watched the show and I was—"

"O-Oh, so even s-superheroes watch tv, huh?" The blunette giggled awkwardly, trying to keep her eyes on him instead of ways to escape the situation. "L-Look…about all that…stuff…"

"The pictures you mean?" he asked, wanting to get straight to the point.

"Y-yeah," Marinette confirmed, her cheeks still ready. "I just… I really like s-superheroes and so…"

But the words died on her tongue as Chat moved closer, their faces mere inches apart. "Oh my. Is the Princess…lying~?" he smugly questioned, staring into her eyes as they widened.

"W-w-what?!" the blunette exclaimed, giving him a gentle nudge back. "N-no way! I'm not interested in you! I mean, not that you're not interesting and all! I totally admire you and all! You're just so brave, and fun, and sweet…And I should probably stop talking! Hahahaha…ha…"

She was just so adorable. He'd give her a break. "No worries, Princess. I totally understand." Chat took her delicate hand in his, laying his other hand over it. He smiled gently at her, feeling the warm radiating from her hand. "If anything, I'm really glad I have a fan like you. I don't visit just anyone on a warm summer night hoping for some treats and cuddles." She giggled a little and he continued. "You're honest and real. And _I_ can't help but admire _you_ for that. I feel like I can myself when I'm with you. Hey, you should be calling me your biggest fan." He let go of her hand and caressed her cheeks, leaning in. The model in disguise placed a featherlight kiss on his crush's forehead, making her squeak in response. He smiled brightly at his shocked face and hopped onto the railing. "Good night, Princess. Thank you for being her for me." Not looked back, Chat leapt home, a goofy grin on his face.

* * *

 **I am in love with the Locker Scene! But I wanted some Marichat in the episode and I was so disappointed when there wasn't! So I decided to turn the Locker Scene into another balcony scene. You're welcome! I'm working on another side story compilation (refer to Chapter 7) in the meantime. Since I know the Queen's Fight Trilogy is next and I know that'll be kinda Chloe focused.**

 **So…until next time!**


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